


this is where you land

by pdameron



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts Professors, Alternate Universe - Magic, Angst, Families of Choice, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2017-06-01
Packaged: 2018-09-24 03:54:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9699197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pdameron/pseuds/pdameron
Summary: the one where they're hogwarts professors.





	1. in which finn leaves his job, meets a cute boy, and gets a new job, all in one chapter

**Author's Note:**

> idk if there are harry potter fic cliches but if there are boy oh boy i'm sure i'll have hit them all by the end of this

Finn was leaving.

Finn was leaving, and he was terrified.

He’d been here before: First Order Academy of Magic was a hellhole; who wouldn’t want to leave? But now he knew, he knew, that he needed to get out of here, and fast.

“I’m sorry, Headmaster, you want to do what?”

“It’s high time that we start teaching the students real magic, Professor. What use will a simple ‘Expelliarmus’ be against a true foe? Only the dark arts will guarantee that our students will reach their true potential.

Finn stared at Headmaster Snoke, horrified. “They’re children, sir, you can’t - .”

Snoke continued as he stood to tower over Finn, ignoring his protests. “At this school, in this world, only the strong will survive. Only the pure. It is our responsibility to ensure that our students will not only survive, but rise to the top, above mudblood scum. As your subject is Dueling, I expect you to -”

“No.”

“....excuse me?”

“Headmaster Snoke, I hereby tender my resignation from First Order Academy. I refuse to be a part of this - this weaponization of students, or the blatant prejudice you’re displaying.”

Finn turned heel and stormed out of the office. As he reached the door, Snoke called out to him:

“The First Order is who you are, Professor. You were taught here, you trained here, you honed your skills here - you’ve spent nearly your entire life in this fortress. Where would you go? What could you possibly do, other than fight? It’s all you’ve ever been good for.”

Finn grimaced. Snoke wasn’t wrong. The First Order was all he knew of the wizarding world. He had no experience outside what he’d learned growing up at the academy, and the only job he’d ever had was teaching dueling at the very school he himself had attended. Still, he knew he couldn’t stay. First Order wasn’t safe for him anymore. It wasn’t safe for any muggle-born, anymore.

He walked out, refusing to turn back.

 

******

 

 

Two months later, Finn found himself in Diagon Alley, of all places, looking for a job.

He’d never seen a place so crowded: Hogwarts students, it seemed, tended to shop at the last minute. Finn had never been to the Alley, having been secluded at First Order Academy since he was a boy. He hadn’t been allowed to leave or go out on his own as a student, and once he’d joined the staff, he hadn’t felt the need to use his limited free time on something as trivial as shopping.

Still, he was taken aback by - well, everything.

The first thing he noticed about Diagon Alley was its colors - he’d never seen so much color in his life, used to the steely grays, harsh blacks and crisp whites of the First Order. Everything around him seemed so full of life, vividly vibrant.

What intrigued him next was the disorder of it all. Everything at the academy had been obsessively clean, all straight lines and harsh edges. Diagon Alley was messy, disorganized chaos, filled with twists and turns, and Finn didn’t know where to look. It was overwhelming.

What struck Finn most, however, were the families making their way through the Alley. The casual, easy affection and the gentle, loving touches were completely foreign to Finn. The First Order hadn’t been a place for joy or friendship or love: students were there to learn and be tested, and nothing else. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d even seen anyone laugh, let alone held someone’s hand.

Is this what life was like beyond those dark, unfeeling halls?

Finn stumbled upon a ‘Help Wanted’ sign outside Flourish and Blotts, which appeared to be a bookstore. He wandered in, weaving his way through the crowds of parents and students searching for textbooks until he made his way to the front desk, where he was met with an weathered but kind looking old man.

“Can I help you, young sir?” The man asked with a warm smile. “I’m Lor San Tekku, the manager of this fine establishment.”

“Yes, actually. I’m Finn. I saw that you had a ‘Help Wanted’ sign in your window, and I was wondering if I could be that help? That you wanted,” Finn cringed. “I need a job.”

Tekku just laughed good-naturedly, amused by Finn’s floundering. At least he didn’t think Finn was a complete idiot, then. He gestured for Finn to follow him toward the back of the store, where it was less crowded.

“I’m sure I’d be glad to have the help. The job will hardly be taxing, but I have to ask some general questions,” Tekku began, and at Finn’s encouraging nod, he continued. “Where you were trained, any prior employment: things like that.”

“Well, sir, I was top of my class at First Order Academy, and taught there for six years before I left this summer.”

“Ah. First Order, huh? Not a very cheery place. How’d a nice young man like yourself come out of a hellhole like that?” At Finn’s shrug, he chortled and moved on. “Teacher, huh? What subject?”

“Duels, sir.”

Tekku stared at him, perplexed. “Duels?”

“...is that not a subject at Hogwarts? It was mandatory for all seven years at First Order.”

“Well, there’s Defense Against the Dark Arts, but that’s hardly the same as - ” Tekku paused, looking over Finn’s shoulder. “Give me a moment, would you?”

Not waiting for a response, Tekku hollered at someone behind Finn: “Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Dameron, or were you just going to continue ogling Mr. Finn here?”

Finn gaped at Tekku’s smirking face, flushing furiously. Ogling? He turned around to meet this ‘Mr. Dameron’, and found himself face to face with the most handsome man he’d ever seen. His skin was a deep tan (though his cheeks were slightly red after Tekku’s remark), and his dark hair gently curled over his forehead. The man had warm brown eyes, that crinkled charmingly at the edges when he smiled, and - oh. When he smiled. Because he was smiling at Finn, and holding out his hand.

“I’m Poe Dameron.”

“I - uh - Finn. Good to meet you, Poe.”

The smile the other man sent Finn’s way was nothing short of dazzling. “Good to meet you too, Finn.”

Tekku cleared his throat, and the moment was broken: Finn let go of Poe’s hand, flushing darkly. He couldn’t help but feel he’d gripped a little too tightly, and stared a little too long.

“Mr. Dameron, I’d be happy to help you, but if you’re not in need of assistance then I’ll be going back to my interview with Finn here.”

Poe grinned. “That’s actually why I came over. I heard you say you were a teacher?”

“Uh - yeah. At First Order.”

“And you’re looking for a job?” At Finn’s silent nod, he grinned even wider. “Great! We have a position open at Hogwarts.”

Finn startled. “Oh, well, I -”

“Do you have any plans for the immediate future? As in, the next year?”

What?

“What? No - I mean, I was trying to find a job, and then after that a flat, but -”

“Great! Let me finish up here, and we can go!”

“... go where?”

“Hogwarts, of course!” At this, Poe ran back to the front of the store, grabbing about a dozen textbooks. Finn watched as Poe headed toward a less crowded area with his haul, and promptly disapparated. He raised his brows, looking to Tekku. He had to have noticed Poe blatantly stealing those books. Before he could say anything, however, the other man was back, and rushing back to grab another pile. This happened several times, Finn getting more and more confused by Tekku’s lack of response.

“Poe’s running a pre-ordered errand for Headmaster Organa,” the old man said to Finn with a smirk. “I wouldn’t let just anyone take my books without paying.”

Finn was about to respond, when Poe reappeared at his side. “Ready? Sorry to steal him, Lor San, but -”

“I know better than to try and stop a Gryffindor when he puts his mind to something,” Tekku said waving them off with a grin. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Finn.”

Finn turned to Poe. “What’s a Gryff -”

But Poe had taken his hand and disapparated before Finn could finish his sentence, or even say goodbye to Mr. Tekku. They reappeared in a small rural town, outside a tavern: The Three Broomsticks, according to the sign. Poe turned to him with a bright smile. “Welcome to Hogsmeade, Finn.”

 

 

******

 

 

Hogsmeade was, apparently, a town a few miles south of Hogwarts. Apparating on school grounds was prohibited, so most people came to Hogsmeade before making the trek toward the castle from there, Poe told him. And so he found himself walking with Poe toward the castle, textbooks floating behind them, chatting amiably.

“What are the textbooks for? You must have brought at least three dozen back here.”

“Oh, those? Headmaster Organa always sends me to pick up some extra textbooks and supplies at the beginning of the school year. Some students can’t always afford all their equipment, so we like to have some available for the ones who need them. I’d already gone to get some cauldrons and scales before I ran into you.”

Finn stared at Poe as they kept walking, in wonder. It was such a simple, thoughtful thing: Poe didn’t seem to realize how significant this small kindness would have been for him and others like him at his school when he was younger. Finn hadn’t been able to afford his textbooks, uniform, or equipment when he’d been a student at First Order. He’d been forced to work sanitation alongside completing his studies in order to work off his debt.

Poe seemed to notice his bewildered staring, opening his mouth presumably to question him about it, when Finn hastily changed the subject. “So, what’s a Gryffindor, anyway?”

Gryffindor, he learned, was one of the four houses at Hogwarts, in which every student was sorted upon their arrival at the school.

“You don’t have houses at First Order?”

Finn shrugged. “We weren’t really treated as individuals. You did your work, you kept your head down, and you tried not to make any waves,” He chuckled, slightly embarrassed. “We even had numbers. My official ID was 2187. I stopped using it after I graduated, but there were times when the other teachers would forget and call me by it.”

Poe stopped walking for a moment to stare at Finn. “You’re so indifferent about this. Didn’t it bother you? I’ve known you for all of an hour and I already know you’re more than some number.”

Finn smiled in thanks, and kept walking as he answered. “I got used to it. It was all I knew.”

“Yeah, but what about when you went home for the summer?”

Finn felt his smile fade. “I grew up in an orphanage. I was recruited by the First Order, and since I had no family, they let me stay during the holidays. It was my home.”

“So why did you leave?”

Finn grimaced. “It’s a long story.”

They finally reached the top of the hill they’d been climbing, and Finn gasped. They were in front of the sprawling grounds of Hogwarts, and at the center was a huge castle, unlike anything Finn had ever seen. It was breathtaking. The towers, the surrounding lakes, the green hills: Hogwarts was beautiful.

He glanced over to see Poe looking at him with a gentle smile. “It’s really something, isn’t it?”

“I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“To be honest, buddy, nothing else even comes close.”

 

 

******

 

 

Although Finn would have been happy to simply walk around the grounds, Poe was not to be deterred. He grabbed Finn’s hand (good lord, Finn needed to get a grip and stop blushing at every little thing the man did) and pulled him toward the grand castle, grinning all the while.

When they finally reached the ornate front doors, Finn hesitated. For all that he was eager to see what was inside, he was suddenly nervous: what if he met this headmaster, and they decided they didn’t want a former First Order teacher here? What if he would have to go back? What if he would have to hide his blood status, just as he had from the other students and teachers at his old school?

“You’ll be fine. Headmaster Organa is one of the kindest people I know,” Poe said encouragingly, having noticed Finn’s nerves. “I mean, she’s intimidating, and powerful, but she’s amazing, really. You can do this, buddy.”

Finn let out a shaky exhale, and allowed himself to be dragged into the building.

He looked all around, gaping. It was like walking into a fairytale: tall, grand archways; knights in shining armor; ornate paintings; torches hanging on the wall...Finn was enchanted.

“As much as I’d love to show you around, I’m a man on a mission,” Poe said with a wink. He grabbed Finn’s hand once more, and began making his way through the castle, walking up a - Merlin’s Beard, the stairs move? Poe laughed as Finn grabbed onto the railings desperately upon the shifting of the staircase. “Sorry, I should have told you. They’re easy enough to get used to, although I should warn you: they have a mind of their own.”

Poe finally stopped in front of a statue of a strange creature. Poe grinned as Finn stepped forward to investigate. “That’s Admiral Ackbar. He was a good friend of the Headmaster’s during the Rebellion. When he died, she had this statue made in his honor.”

“The Headmaster fought in the Rebellion?” Even Finn, who’d led a fairly sheltered life, knew about the great war between the dark wizard Lord Palpatine and the brave Rebels.

Hang on -

“Headmaster Organa? As in Leia Organa? The war hero?” Finn practically squeaked.

“One and the same,” Poe replied, before turning to Admiral Ackbar and saying what Finn assumed was a password: “Alderaan.”

They walked up a rising staircase that emerged behind the statue, until they reached another door. Poe knocked, and at the Headmaster’s heed, pulled Finn into the room.

It was a huge circular office, and while he easily could have been distracted by the hundreds of trinkets and dozens of paintings that filled the room, he found his eyes drawn to the woman standing behind the desk in the center. Despite her small stature, she commanded attention, and her presence felt larger than life. Or maybe it was just that Finn was about to meet Leia Organa, and he was excited.

“Headmaster, this is Finn. He’s a teacher, from First Order.”

Leia Organa (Leia Organa!) smiled warmly. “Good to meet you, Finn,” she turned to Poe, raising a brow. “Now, why would you bring a teacher here, if we have no positions open?”

Finn felt his eyes go huge, sputtering frantically. “But - Poe, you said - ”

Poe shrugged, unashamed. “I think Headmaster Organa would agree that it’s high time we found a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.”

Organa laughed, before turning to Finn. “He has a point there. Poe said you worked at First Order. Why did you leave?”

Finn paused, choosing his words carefully. “First Order is an oppressive, harsh place, where students and faculty are treated as soldiers instead of people. Many of them are elitist, cruel, and prejudiced. I’d wanted to leave for years before I finally worked up the courage, but... it was all I’d ever known of the Wizarding World. I left because Headmaster Snoke wanted to teach dark magic. I refused.”

Poe and the Headmaster were silent, although Finn couldn’t begin to tell what they were thinking. She turned to Poe after a time. “Poe, do me a favor, would you? Escort Professor Phasma from the premises. I think she’ll find that there’s an opening at First Order.”

Poe pumped his fist in the air in victory, before practically running out the door. Finn stared at the empty space where he had been. “I take it Poe doesn’t like this Professor Phasma?”

Organa shrugged. “No one does. From the sound of it, her beliefs and practices are better suited to your alma mater. But never mind that. I have some questions for you.”

And so Finn found himself talking with a living legend, interviewing for a job that had essentially been made available on his behalf. Before he knew it, nearly an hour had passed, and the Headmaster (“Call me Leia, son.”) seemed to have given him a seal of approval.

“Well, if you’re willing, We’d be glad to have you. The semester starts in a few days, so I’ll be sure to have Poe show you around and get you familiarized with the grounds.”

Finn grinned. “Thank you so much, Headmaster. I won’t let you down,” he got up to leave, but Leia held up a hand to stop him.

“We’re not quite done yet. I have one last thing to do. A test, of sorts.”

What? A test? But he hadn’t studied! Were there usually tests when one interviewed at Hogwarts? Why didn’t Poe warn him?

She walked towards a high shelf, and pulled down an old green hat. She handed it to Finn, who simply stared at her, nonplussed.

“Uh - thank you?” he said, bewildered.

“For what are you thanking me? Not sorted you, have I,” said a strange voice. Where did that -?

“Down here, am I.”

Finn looked at the hat in his hands, and watched a seam in at the brim twist into an approximation of a scraggly smile. He looked up at Leia, shocked. “...the hat talks?”

“The hat talks. His name is Yoda,” at Finn’s arched brow, she shrugged. “He’s 800 years old. I didn’t name him. Now listen to what he has to say.”

“Sort you, I must. A speech there is normally, but finished it I have not. Final touches I must make, before the feast.”

“Okay, you’re saying things, but I have no idea what they mean.”

Leia stepped in to help him out. “Yoda here is the Hogwarts Sorting Hat. Do you know the four houses?”, Finn shook his head. “They are Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. Gryffindors are known for their bravery and nerve, but they can also be reckless and self-righteous at times. Slytherins are cunning and resourceful. However, they tend to be ambitious and have a reputation for being devious at times. Hufflepuffs are loyal and dedicated, but at times their patience and forgiveness are more of a hindrance than a virtue. And Ravenclaws are intelligent and creative, but that intelligence can lead to arrogance and a judgmental nature. I’ve told you just some of these traits, both positive and negative, because as a professor, you must understand that no one house is better than the other. They are four parts to a whole,” she paused. “How did that sound? I’m working on my speech for the Welcoming Feast, and that was the gist of what I was going to say about the houses to the first years.”

Finn smiled encouragingly, then pondered her words for a moment. He honestly didn’t know where he would fit. At least he didn’t have to make that decision for himself.

“So...I put him on?”

Leia nodded, and Finn gingerly placed the old, ragged hat on his head.

“Ah. Scared, you are.” Finn jumped. Yoda’s voice seemed to be coming from inside his head, rather than the makeshift mouth at his brim. “On your own are you, for the first time. Left your home, have you. Betrayed you felt, and righteous. But frightened you were, and worried for your future: not entirely selfless was your cause for departure. There is intelligence, indeed, for strategy and planning are your strengths. But also loyalty. Not to the mentors or comrades you have known, no, but to those who earn your respect and love, loyal are you.” Finn sat listening to the hat, stunned by how clearly he seemed to see into his heart. Finally, Yoda spoke, this time to both Finn and Leia. “A Slytherin, are you.”

“Great!”

Finn startled so badly he nearly knocked Yoda off his head. The man who had spoken had apparently come into the office while Finn had been distracted by his sorting. He continued to speak as he leaned on the desk next to Leia. “If you’re a Slytherin, then I don’t have to take over as House Head after Phasma.”

“...Okay?”

Leia rolled her eyes. “Finn, this is Han Solo. He teaches Care of Magical Creatures here at Hogwarts. He’s a Slytherin as well.”

“He is also your husband.”

“Nice to meet you,” Finn said. He turned to Leia. “‘House Head’? What -”

“The heads of house are the professors who oversee the students in each individual house. They’re directly responsible for the students of their respective houses. Poe, for example, is the Head of Gryffindor House, just as I was before I became headmaster. Han here is a lazy bastard and would rather hang out with our Keeper of Keys and groundskeeper, Chewbacca, than take responsibility outside his lessons.”

“You say the sweetest things, Leia,” Han quipped good-naturedly.

Finn took off the Sorting Hat, handing it back to Leia as he mulled it over. “It might be nice to get to know the students on a little better.”

She grinned. “I appreciate that, Finn,” she turned to her desk and pulled out some paperwork, before handing it to Finn.

He filled it out diligently, but paused over his last name. He’d never had one, officially. The orphanage had never bothered to call him anything but Finn, and at First Order, he’d been FN-2187. His former students had simply called him “Sir”.

He left that portion blank. ‘Professor Finn’ had a nice ring to it, even if it was a bit informal.

Leia glanced at the paperwork when he handed it back. She furrowed her brow at the blank space where his last name should be, but didn’t comment on it. Han reached over and slapped a hand on Finn’s shoulder.

“Welcome to Hogwarts, Professor.”


	2. in which Finn makes one friend, and then several smaller ones

 

Finn was walking down the first of many flights of stairs, trying to remember the directions Leia had given him to his new quarters. They had seemed simple enough: go to the dungeons, past the potions classroom and the walled secret entrance to the Slytherin common room (maybe he’d just follow the returning students and wait for them to reveal the location when the time came?), and into the door at the end of the hall. That is, until the damn stairs started moving as he was mid-stride. 

Honestly, how did anyone function at Hogwarts? How was he meant to get to his rooms if the  _ building itself  _ kept waylaying him? Finn was grateful, at least, that his quarters were in the dungeons: he’d just keep going down until he hit the bottom. It was a solid plan, and one he was sticking to even as the staircases shifted under his feet for the fourth time. 

Until he caught a glimpse of the green fields from an open door on the ground level. 

Maybe his quarters could wait for a bit.

Finn wandered outside and started walking around the castle, trying to get a good look at all the turrets and towers; take in the architecture. He saw Professor Solo -  No,  _ Han _ \- heading down a steep set of stairs toward a small cabin on the edge of a sprawling forest. Finn went to follow him, maybe ask for help finding Poe again, when he heard someone grunting from exertion. 

He followed the noise until he found its source: a young woman in a greenhouse, wrestling with what looked like a small rathtar plant. 

Finn ran forward to help, only to hear her warning shout one moment too late. He felt something (surprisingly slimy) wrap around his leg and yank him forward. He let out a pained grunt as he crashed to the ground, winded, then yelled in alarm as the plant started to drag him towards its mouth. 

The woman raced forward, dodging the tentacles that went to grab her arm with a grace that only years of practice could instill. She stunned the plant with a flick of her wand, and the vines went limp and pliant in her hands. Finn watched uselessly from the ground as she threw the plant into a large trunk and locked it, blowing stray hairs out of her face with a huff.

The woman - girl, really - couldn’t have been older than 20. Her hair was pulled back in three tight buns, and she was covered from head to toe in dirt. She wore a sleeveless tan cloak with a matching tank and pants underneath, and her arms were wrapped up to the elbows to avoid cutting herself accidentally. 

“What the hell are you doing hauling rathtars here? That thing could have killed me!”

The girl rolled her eyes with an amused smirk. “Oh please. That thing’s a baby: it’s all bite and no bark. The vines are scary, I suppose, but right now its mouth is smaller than your foot.”

Finn grumbled embarrassedly. It had seemed pretty threatening to him while it’d been dragging him across to greenhouse to his (apparently not) certain doom.

The girl continued: “Besides, do you see any students? I’m sending this little guy away to another herbologist tomorrow. I was just doing some research during the summer break.”

“Was seeing how it would react to strange men part of that research, or was all my suffering for nothing?”

She looked over at him and grinned, before reaching down and helping him up. “Well, seeing as they tend to react that way to most humans, I’d say so. Still, it was nice of you to try and help, even if it was totally unnecessary. You the new guy?”

“I guess so. How did you -”

“Phasma stormed by cursing a blue streak about an hour ago. It wasn’t too hard to put the pieces together.”

Ah. That would do it.

She walked over, giving him a hard clap on the shoulder. “I’m Rey.”

“Finn.”

He looked over his shoulder and saw the sun was beginning to set. Damn. He’d have to cut his exploration short, and find his new quarters soon. He turned back to Rey. “You wouldn’t happen to know where the Slytherin Head of House quarters are? I haven’t really figured out the layout of the castle yet.”

“Sure I do. But you need to be given a proper tour first.”

“But I need to -”

“We’ll get there. Right now, you’ve gotta see the rest of the castle,” Rey said with a grin, pulling him along by the hand.  

 

 

******

 

 

And so Finn found himself walking back up the stairs through the castle with Rey, listening to her chatter. Rey, he discovered, had been a student at Hogwarts herself not two years ago: after a year of traveling and doing this and that, Leia invited her to take up the newly available position as Professor of Herbology.

“I grew up in a pile of sand, basically. In Jakku. It’s right on the outer edge of the  Rub’al Khali Desert. Coming to Hogwarts was…” She trailed off, lost for words. Finn knew the feeling. “I didn’t know there was this much green in the entire  _ world _ . You can see how herbology ended up being my favorite subject. I’m still astounded by all the trees and grass here. It doesn’t feel real. Sometimes I feel like it must be a dream, and I’m going to wake up back in the desert, scavenging for - ” She cut herself off with a blush, embarrassed to have confessed such a personal thing. 

Finn smiled. “Home isn’t where you’re from, it’s where you’re happy. And if you can be happy playing around with a man-eating plant, then I’m sure you were meant to be here.”

Rey grinned, glad that he seemed to understand where she was coming from.

She showed him several classrooms and courtyards, the clocktower, the entrances to the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw common rooms; Hogwarts was enormous, and slightly overwhelming. They walked past the large dining hall Finn had seen when he’d first arrived, but Rey refused to show it to him. She said that he ought to see the Great Hall at its best, during the Welcome Feast.

“So you’ve never been here before,  _ ever _ ?” At Finn’s nod, Rey seemed to slump in relief. “That’s wonderful! I mean, not wonderful - you’re probably nervous, but also wonderful that we’re both starting at the same time.”

“I think you have a bit of an advantage over me on this one. I don’t know anything about Hogwarts, really.”

“Yeah, but I’ve never taught before, and  _ you _ have. We’re in it together now, Finn.”

He grinned at her. “I help you with your students, you help me with all this Hogwarts nonsense?”

Rey rolled her eyes with a scoff, ignoring his dig. She pulled him into a spacious room with large windows and lined with desks. At the front, there was a chalkboard, and behind that a staircase that led to what looked like an office.  

“This is your classroom,” she said, gesturing broadly. “You can look around if you like, I’ll wait.”

It was so different to his room back at First Order. That classroom had been dark and cramped, harsh and impersonal. This was filled with light, and felt worn and well-used. It felt like a place where he could be comfortable. He walked up to his office, looking around. As he rifled through his new desk and bookshelves, Rey continued to speak, calling up to him.

“It’ll be a bit annoying, I bet, to have your classroom and office so far from your quarters, but it’s your own fault for accepting the Head of House position. Anyway, are you about done here? I can take you to the Slytherin common room, if you like. You’ll have to set the new password.”

Finn gave his classroom one last once over before following Rey toward the dungeons. They were walking down a stone hallway when Rey stopped short, looking around. 

“I have a confession to make: I’ve never actually been to your common room. I know it’s in this corridor, but…”

“So this is a case of the blind leading the blind,” Finn said, unimpressed. Rey shrugged. 

“Looks like you could use a hand,” said a voice from behind them. Finn let out a startled yelp, whipping around.

Rey, who had somehow maintained her composure, simply nodded to Poe, before turning back to their conundrum. “Maybe if we just feel along the walls?”

Finn looked at Poe helplessly. The older man chuckled. “It’s a good thing I dated a Slytherin in my seventh year. Otherwise you’d be wandering around for hours,” Poe walked a little further down, before running his hands along the wall to his left. His hands found a cracked stone, and he grinned. He turned to Finn. “The password Phasma set was ‘Chrome’.”

Finn waited for something to happen as Poe said the password, but the wall before them remained unchanged. 

Poe hummed thoughtfully. “It must know that Phasma’s left. Why don’t you try and set a new password? The castle should recognize you as the new House Head.” He paused, shrugging when Finn looked at him expectantly.. “….Maybe you can just say it? When I set the password for the Gryffindors, I just tell a painting and she remembers. I’ve never talked to a stone wall before.”

“Helpful.”

“I try.”

Finn turned back to the archway, feeling ridiculous. “Uh...I’m the new Slytherin Head of House. So...I’d like to set the password, if that’s alright.”

… Nothing.

Finn plowed on, trying to convey a surety he didn’t quite feel. “The new password will be -” he paused. He hadn’t actually thought about it. He looked to Poe and Rey, who shrugged. What would be a good password? One that would be hard to guess, one that would be the last thing people would think? Finn grinned to himself as he said: “ - Gryffindor.” 

The wall before them seemed to evaporate into thin air. In its place stood an arched stone entryway, and a flight of stairs heading further underground. Rey slapped him on the back with a grin.

“Brilliant choice, Finn. No one would ever think the Slytherin password would be another house, especially Gryffindor.”

“Congrats, by the way. Slytherin’s gained a great addition to their ranks,” Poe said as the three of them made their way down the flight of stairs. “I have to admit, I’d hoped you’d be a Gryffindor,” At Finn’s confused look, Poe continued, bashfully. “After all, your quarters are an awful long way from mine.”

Finn felt himself flush a deep red. He didn’t quite know what to make of that statement. His mind was racing at Poe’s admission, so much so that he missed Rey glancing between the two of them with a considering look.

They reached the bottom of the stairs, stopping to take in the Slytherin common room for the first time. In front of them was a wide room, with intricate tapestries and bookshelves scattered along the walls. He wandered further into the room, looking around. Surrounding the fireplace were three luxurious looking black leather couches; three of many that were strewn around the room. Above the mantelpiece was a large crest, at the center of which was a great snake with eyes made of emeralds.

“I think that snake’s eyes cost more than everything I own put together,” Finn observed. 

“Slytherin has a reputation for attracting the more wealthy pureblood families. I’m sure someone donated them somewhere down the lines,” Rey said.

Finn froze, suddenly anxious. “But… I’m muggleborn. Will that be a problem?”

“Yeah, well, I said it was a reputation. Times change. I mean, those old families are still around, but most people don’t care about blood purity the way they used to.”

Finn nodded, relieved, before turning back to the room.  Scattered around were tables, chairs, and benches made of a dark mahogany, and several chess sets were placed on the tables. There were three doors on the opposite side of the room, which probably led to the boys, girls, and gender neutral student dormitories. Torches with green flames were mounted on the walls. What intrigued Finn most, though was the strange, almost moving light reflecting around the room. He watched the strange glow for a time, and Poe must have noticed him staring, because he spoke up:

“We’re actually under the lake right now. That’s what that fluid-looking light is,” he said, pulling Finn toward the windows on the right side of the room. Finn stared, enchanted by how the rays of sunlight danced in the water. Suddenly, he saw something dash across his field of vision. He gasped. 

“Was that - ?”

“A mermaid? Yeah. Pretty cool, right? There’s a giant squid, as well, but he’s pretty tough to spot.”

Finn gaped, filled with a childlike wonder. “A giant squid? But that’s got to be 40 meters long! I can’t believe you have one here.”

“ _ I _ can’t believe you’re more excited about the squid than the  _ actual mermaid _ you just saw.”

He grinned, looking around again. The Slytherin common room was dark and dungeon-like, but it had character, something the First Order had been sorely lacking, and it had a real sense of history attached to it. It was more than he could say for his old home, where everything felt the same, and nothing and nobody was special. 

Poe and Rey spent a good hour helping Finn set up the common room for the students’ arrival, then walked him out and pointed him to ward his quarters. 

His rooms consisted of a sitting area with a desk and a small dining set, as well as a couch and loveseat in front of a fireplace; a lavatory with a bath and shower through a door on the left; and behind the door on the right, his bedroom. He wandered around his new home, taking it all in. At First Order, even as a teacher, his quarters had been tiny, stocked with only the bare essentials: a bed, a lamp, a wardrobe, and a desk. He’d shared a communal bathroom with the rest of the staff. 

“All this - it’s for me? Just me?”

“Well, yeah.”

Finn could hardly believe it. He had his own space, and it was given to him as if it was nothing at all, as if it was only natural that he should be his own person. 

Finn walked into his bedroom, running his hands along the soft quilt on the bed, the worn wood of the old wardrobe and bookshelf, the smooth stone that made up the walls. He stopped short when he noticed his trunk and a few boxes of his things in the far corner. After a moment, realization hit, and Finn shook his head with a smile: Leia had probably sent for them as soon as he’d left her office. He went around to the opposite side of his bed and opened the green curtains over the window. 

It felt as though he was right on the waterfront; his quarters must have been just above where the lake met the castle grounds. His view stretched out for what seemed like forever: he could see a small island several miles out; the edges of the dark forest; and, off in the far distance, what looked like a herd of flying horses? He’d have to ask Poe later.

He walked back into the -  _ his _ \- sitting area, only to see Poe and Rey staring at him tentatively, as if they were anxious that he wouldn’t like it. He grinned back at them, and they both slumped in relief, beaming right back. Impulsively, he jumped forward and pulled them both into a tight embrace.

“Thank you, so much,” he whispered, and he smiled as his friends, his first  _ real _ friends, clung back just as tightly.

 

 

******

 

 

Finn climbed out of bed early on the day of the welcome feast. He’d been up well into the night reading the copy of _ Hogwarts: A History _ Rey had leant him, but he was too full of anxious energy to go back to sleep upon waking up. He left his rooms in the dungeons and wandered toward the Great Hall, pausing when he walked past some barrels in one of the corridors. Rey had mentioned that the Hufflepuff common room was concealed by a group of barrels, and that one only needed to tap the right one using the right rhythm to gain access. He tried a few times, before the barrel in the middle of the second row opened toward him and Rey popped her head out. He jumped back with a startled shout.

“I heard you tapping the barrels. You’re lucky I came out when I did: one more wrong try and you would have been sprayed with vinegar.”

“...why?”

“To ward off unwanted visitors, obviously. You’re wanted, though. Come in.”

They wandered up a short tunnel until they reached a round, open room, bathed in sunlight from the circular windows along the walls. It felt cozy, with worn, old couches in front of the fireplace, and benches and tables scattered across the room, obviously meant for studying. There were plants everywhere: ferns hanging from the ceiling; potted plants scattered over the tables and next to the fireplace; a large cactus in the corner; and there were even vines growing on the wall. There was a painting of a plump, kind woman over the mantelpiece, who raised her goblet to Finn with a wink. The room simply oozed comfort and warmth.

He was surprised to find that he preferred his own common room. Maybe it was the mysterious and intriguing nature of the Slytherin common room, or the view of the lake. Or maybe he just thought it was cooler. 

Finn looked over to see Rey struggling to pin a flyer on the large bulletin board near the entrance. He walked over and read it over her shoulder. 

“Quidditch tryouts?”

“Please tell me they had quidditch at First Order.”

“Well, no. Sports were frivolous distractions. It’s on brooms, right?”

Rey stared at him, horrified. “You’ve never played quidditch? You’ve never  _ seen _ a quidditch match?”

“I’ve never even ridden a broom. Apparition was the most efficient form of transportation, so that’s what we learned to do.”

“You  _ what _ ?”

Finn shrugged, embarrassed. He didn’t want to dwell on what was apparently yet another reason why he was different, so he turned his attention to Rey. “Did you play quidditch?”

Rey grinned. “Yeah. I was a chaser, and captain of the Hufflepuff team when I was a student here. We won the Quidditch Cup four times.”

“Wow.”

“That’s nothing. You should ask Poe about his quidditch career. I think he broke something like ten records. I only broke four.”

“Oh  _ only _ four?” Finn laughed as Rey elbowed him in the gut at his sarcasm. He let his thoughts wander to the image of Poe on a broomstick, flying around and grinning that wide, toothy smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners. Poe landing on the pitch, his hair tousled from the wind, his cheeks flushed from the exertion. Poe stretching, Poe pulling up the hem of his shirt to wipe some sweat from his forehead, Poe taking his shirt off to cool down - 

Nope. Not going there. Finn shut that train of thought down before it went past the point of no return. 

“ … and we can go down to Hogsmeade, if you like. You’ve seen most of the castle and the ground at this point, so why not get to know the town a little bit? The students should be arriving around seven, so - Finn, have you been listening to me at all?”

“...I caught the tail end of it?”

Rey rolled her eyes. “Stop fantasizing about Poe and let’s go get some lunch in town.”

Finn sputtered. “I wasn’t - “

Rey just raised an unimpressed brow. 

“Okay, maybe I was.” As flustered as he felt, Finn was almost pleased that Rey already seemed to know him so well. It was as if they’d known each other their entire lives.

Except not at all because he didn’t even know Rey’s last name.

“Hey Rey, what’s your last name?”

  
  


 

*******

 

 

Six hours later, Finn was walking back toward the castle with Rey, fuller than he could ever remember being. They’d gone to the Three Broomsticks, the tavern Finn had seen when he’d first arrived, and drank their weight in butterbeer (“What do you mean you’ve never had butterbeer? What’s the point of being a wizard if you don’t drink butterbeer?”), before Rey had decided to force Finn into reliving a childhood he’d never had and dragging him into the sweets shop, Honeydukes. The First Order had enforced a very strict dietary plan, and when Finn mentioned that he hadn’t had any candy in years, Rey had gasped in horror and convinced him to have a lunch that was entirely sugar. He’d gotten a ‘Han Solo’ chocolate frog card, and found himself staring at the younger version of his colleague a bit too long. Sweet Merlin, Leia was lucky.

It’d been a great afternoon: Finn couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed so much. He’d been promised a thorough tour of Zonko’s Joke Shop upon their next excursion into Hogsmeade, and he already couldn’t wait. ‘Nose-biting Teacups’? He was burning with curiosity.

Rey was explaining the purpose of a fanged frisbee when they ran right into a towering, hairy man. Finn gaped up at him while Rey simply grinned. “Hey Chewie. This is Finn, the new professor.”

The man - Chewie? - gave Finn a clap on the shoulder and made a series of gargling noises at him, nodding his head. 

“Yup, one and the same. Han’s lucky Finn was willing to take Phasma’s position, otherwise it would have cut into your ‘bro time’,” Rey responded with a laugh, ignoring Finn’s bewildered look.

The man - who Finn realized now must be Chewbacca, the groundskeeper - chuffed at Rey’s joke, before wandering off. How had Rey understood him? Was that even a language? He opened his mouth to ask, when Rey spoke, gesturing at the sun, which was beginning to set.

“It must be around 6:00 now. Are you excited for your first Hogwarts Feast?”

All the nerves Finn had forgotten about during the day came rushing back, and he felt like he might be sick. He tried to subtly wipe his sweaty hands on his pants, but as Rey placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, he sighed defeatedly. Apparently, having friends meant that it was impossible to hide things from them.

He let out a shaky breath. “Just - stay with me? I’ll be okay, I think, if you’re next to me.”

Rey’s face went a bit red and she gave him a small, shy smile. She pushed him towards his quarters, telling him to freshen up before they headed toward the Great Hall. As she walked away, still blushing, Finn was struck by a thought. He’d never really had a friend before Poe and Rey, but maybe Rey could do with a few more friends herself. He walked back to his quarters and changed quickly into a nicer set of robes, before heading back toward the Great Hall.

Poe was there, chatting amiably with two professors Finn didn’t recognize. The older man hadn’t caught sight of him yet, so Finn took a moment to get a good look. Poe had swapped the casual clothes he’d been wearing the day before for a dark set of robes that looked almost rust-colored.  He’d clearly tried to tame his wild hair with some gel, with only moderate success. He’d shaved as well, and Finn was surprised to realize that he quite missed the stubble. 

When he caught sight of Finn, Poe beamed, waving him over. “Finn! Come and meet your new colleagues!”

His companions turned to Finn, smiling broadly. One was a pretty Asian woman, probably Poe’s age, wearing dark purple robes and the other was a tall, portly, bearded man in green. 

Poe clapped him on the back. “Finn, these are my oldest friends: Jessika Pava and Snap Wexley.”

The group made polite small talk while they waited for Rey (she had made Finn swear to be with her when he saw the Great Hall for the first time). Jessika, he discovered, taught Astronomy, and Snap Muggle Studies.

“If Poe wasn’t so damn good at Transfiguration, he’d be teaching Muggle Studies for sure. He’s obsessed with muggle culture. Thinks it’s fascinating,” Snap said with a laugh. “There’s not many purebloods who go out of their way to read about aeronautics.”

“I mean, to be honest, the only reason I’m not teaching Muggle Studies is because it’s nothing but  _ reading _ ,” Poe responded, glancing at Finn sheepishly. 

Finn was still stuck on ‘pureblood’. “You’re a pureblood?” At Poe’s nod, he furrowed his brow, perplexed. “And you’re actually interested in muggles? You don’t hate them?”

Now it was Poe’s turn to look confused. “Why would I hate them?”   


Their discussion was interrupted by Rey’s loud whoop. “Are you ready to have your world rocked?” She shouted, throwing her arm over Finn’s shoulder. Finn rolled his eyes.

“Rey, there’s no way a  _ room _ is going to blow my mind the way you seem to think it will. Honestly, what could be so - oh.”

The others laughed as Finn stared in awe at Great Hall. He took a moment to note that the room was lit by hundreds of  _ floating candles _ , of all things, before directing all his attention to the ceiling, or rather, lack thereof. All he could see was the clear sky, slowly shifting from day to night. He could just begin to see the moon, through all the colors of the sunset. They walked toward the long table at the end of the hall, presumably where the faculty sat, and while Finn noticed that the room itself was architecturally beautiful, it was hard to stop looking up. He could just see the arches of the stone ceiling in some parts of the skyscape: it must have been an incredibly complex spell that enchanted the room to reflect the sky above it, and to maintain it for so long.

Finn felt a tug at his hand and with a jolt he realized that he had stopped moving completely, mesmerized by the ceiling. Rey grinned at him, pulling him along toward the where the other teachers were gathering.

Finn was introduced to the other teachers, starting with the Head of Hufflepuff House, Lando Calrissian. He taught Charms, which, after talking to him for a few minutes, Finn felt was rather fitting. “Is he always so…”

“ _ Charm _ ing?” Rey asked with a cheeky grin. “Yeah. Annoying, isn’t it?”

“You know, not at all,” Finn said, looking back at the older man.

Rey sighed. “I know. He’s terribly likeable.”

Next was the Divination professor, Maz Kanata. She was quite possibly the oldest person he’d ever met: if she’d told him she was a thousand years old, he would have believed her easily. She was nice enough, and seemed to be very fond of Rey. Finn found her a bit off-putting, in all honesty. When Maz looked at him, it felt as though the wise old woman was looking into his very soul. It was extremely unsettling.

When he mentioned this to Rey, she nodded solemnly. “The first time she met me, she tried to tell me about the destiny the universe had laid out for me. It was freaky.”

“‘I know your eyes’? How was I supposed to respond to that?”

“Hello there,” said a voice from behind Finn. He turned around, only to be met with a ghost. An actual, real-life ghost.

“Oh, I - Hello?” Finn was gobsmacked. He’d never met a ghost before. What was the proper etiquette? What was he supposed to say? First Order Academy wasn’t exactly a place one would be drawn to after death. Finn hadn’t wanted to be there while he was alive; he couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to haunt it for the rest of eternity. 

Rey smirked at his floundering. “Finn, this is Obi Wan Kenobi, Ravenclaw House Head. He teaches History of Magic.”

Obi Wan smiled politely at him. 

“And...you’re a ghost?”

The old man (or was it old ghost, Finn wondered) chuckled at that. “I assure you, young man, I am not the first ghost to teach in these hallowed halls, and I doubt I will be the last. Who knows? Perhaps you will remain after your passing,” At that, he walked - or rather floated - away, moving on to speak with Han.

“I wonder why he chose to stay, and not move on,” Finn mused. 

“Something about redemption, Leia told me. Apparently his protegee became a terribly powerful dark wizard. Maybe he wanted to make up for his mistakes?” Rey whispered.

“Is there anyone at Hogwarts who isn’t ridiculously interesting?”

Rey pointed out a tall, thin man with bright red hair and a snobbish disposition. “That’ll be Hux. He’s our librarian. The most disdainful, elitist person at Hogwarts, easily. At least six times a year he makes a first year cry because they put a book back in the wrong place, screaming about ‘disorder’.”

“Lovely.”

“He might be the only person who’ll be sorry to see Phasma go.”

“Phasma’s gone?”

Finn looked over his shoulder to see a tall man with long, dark hair and a pointed nose standing behind them. He turned to face the man fully, offering his hand with a smile. “That was my doing, I’m afraid. I’m Finn.”

The man ignored his outstretched hand, simply staring at Finn sulkily

Finn plowed on. “...Anyway, I’m looking forward to working with you...? I already like it much better here than I did at First Order.”

At this, the other man startled. “First Order? You know Snoke?”

“The Headmaster? Yeah. He’s terrible.”

The man grimaced. “He’s a very powerful wizard, and a great man. You should show some respect.”

“In all honesty, I don’t think he’s done much to deserve it.”

The man huffed out a breath, irritated, before stalking away.

“....nice to meet you too?” Finn called out after him. 

Rey rolled her eyes. “That’s Kylo Ren, the Potions master. Ignore him.”

“It’s kind of hard to. His sulking is quite loud.”

“I swear, I’ve never met anyone so constantly moody. He’s an extremely temperamental person. He’s Han and Leia’s son,” at Finn’s surprised glance, she nodded eagerly. “I know, right? He’s so different from the two of them,” She leaned forward conspiratorially. “Story goes, Ben Solo graduates from Hogwarts, and disappears for nearly a decade. Then, Poe brings him to the castle one day out of the blue, only now he goes by Kylo Ren. Whatever Poe did to bring him back, Leia was so grateful that she offered him a position at the school. Jess and Snap followed him to Hogwarts, because the three of them are inseparable, and they’ve been here ever since.”

“What did they do before this?”

“They were aurors,” Rey answered absentmindedly. She sighed. “Look, don’t take the way he acted too personally. He’s a really difficult person.” 

“Who, Kylo? He’s not all bad,” Poe chimed in, slipping an arm over Rey’s shoulder. “He’s just going through a lot. He lost his way for a while back there, that’s all. Hey Finn, wanna sit next to me at the feast? I was thinking we could - ” He was interrupted by a loud screech, followed by a ball of white and orange shooting past the three of them. “BB!” He cried, chasing after the small bird.

Finn stared after him, bemused. He couldn’t imagine this sweet, earnest man as a gritty, tough-as-nails auror.

Poe reappeared with the bird - BB, apparently - nestled in his hair. “Finn, meet my baby, BB. She’s a bit hyperactive, but she’s the best, really.”

Finn smiled up at the bird. “Nice to meet you, BB. I’m Finn,” The bird flitted over to his shoulder, butting her head against his softly. “...Does that mean she likes me?”

“What can I say? She’s got good taste,” Poe said with a wink, calling the bird back and walking toward the table.

Finn stared after him helplessly. Rey just laughed.

 

 

******

 

 

Once all the introductions were made, the professors settled down behind the long table at the end of the hall, facing the doors. Finn felt himself getting nervous and reached under the table to grab Rey’s hand. She looked over and cocked a brow at him, unimpressed.

“I know it’s my first year teaching, but I don’t need you to hold my hand.”

“Believe me, this is more for me than it is for you.”  

Rey’s expression softened, and she gave his hand a squeeze. He looked over to see Poe smiling at him reassuringly. “They’ll love you. How could they not?”

BB flew from her perch on Poe’s shoulder to the stone archway of the entrance. She chirped pointedly. Poe swore.

“I’m supposed to go meet the first years!” He shouted before sprinting from the room, the sound of the other professors’ laughter following him out. 

Just moments after Poe was out the door, the older students began to arrive. Over two hundred teenagers and preteens poured in, shouting and laughing as they headed toward their respective house tables. Finn tried to ignore the curious eyes turned on him, fussing with his robes and trying to look presentable. Rey elbowed him. “You look fine. They’re staring at me too, you know. It’s just because we’re new. No one’s judging you.”

There was a sudden hush as Poe walked into the room leading the new students, BB still perched on his shoulder.  He gave Finn a quick wink before walking over and retrieving Yoda, the Sorting Hat  from behind the podium in front of the professors’ table.

Poe raised his hands to quiet the remaining whispers, before grinning broadly. “Welcome to Hogwarts. Before we sort our first years into their houses, the Sorting Hat will sing us his song, as is tradition,” He placed Yoda on the stool next to him, then stepped back to let him say his piece.

So ensued a song so long and boring that Finn found himself forgetting most of the lyrics almost as soon as they were sung. It was only the last line that stuck with him:

 

_ “A simple lesson for you, have I. Do, or do not. There is no try.” _

 

And so the sorting began: every time Yoda would place a student, their new house’s table would erupt into cheers and shouts, welcoming their new housemate. Rey gave out a loud whoop whenever a new Hufflepuff was sorted and Finn himself made sure to pay extra attention to the Slytherins. He couldn’t help but empathize with these first years: they looked just as awestruck and anxious as he felt. Once the newly-sorted students were seated at their tables, and the excited chatter died down a bit, Leia stepped up to the ornate podium. She didn’t have to raise her hand or call for quiet: her mere presence seemed to be enough to instill a respectful silence. 

She smiled warmly. “To our newly sorted students, congratulations and welcome. To our returning students, welcome back. It will be my great pleasure to embark on this next year at Hogwarts with you all…”

The Headmaster spoke for several minutes, first welcoming pleasantries and then going on to rules and regulations that needed reminding of. It looked as though she was going to finish up and let the feast begin, when she turned to Finn and Rey with a grin. 

“...and how could I forget our new professors? I would ask you to give a warm welcome to our new Professor of Herbology, Rey - ”

Leia was interrupted as what seemed to be about a third of the Hufflepuff table jumped up and started whooping. Rey colored and cringed, pausing in her polite waving. At Finn’s raised brow, she whispered an explanation. “I only graduated two years ago, remember? There’ll be other students who remember me, even some old teammates from Quidditch.”

“But now, I have a rather sad announcement: our Slytherin House Head and Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Phasma, has left us, and -” Leia was cut off once more by a sudden uproar: most of the room had erupted into cheers and excited hollering. Even the Slytherins, who Finn would have thought would be feeling the loss of their Head of House quite keenly, were excited. Leia raised her voice slightly. “Yes, yes, I can see you’re all gutted by this news. Professor Finn has joined us from First Order Academy, and will be taking over her post.”

Finn gulped as he hundreds of pairs of eyes fell on him all at once. The yelling from before had dissolved into hushed whispers. He felt himself begin to flush, which was only made worse when Poe reached under the table to squeeze his hand. Surely he’d been trying to comfort Finn, but instead he’d only managed to fluster him even more. 

Leia concluded her speech, and with a wave of her hands, the golden platters before them filled with more food than Finn had ever seen in his life. He found himself joining the first years in their shocked gasping. 

Finn looked over at Rey, who had descended upon her food as if she might never eat again. He quirked a brow at her, but she only shrugged, unrepentant. 

“I grew up in a desert, remember? Food is a gift, Finn,” she said sagely. He watched as she grabbed another helping of chicken, mashed potatoes, peas, rolls, and cranberry sauce. 

“You’re allowed to have more than one serving?”

“Of course. Have as much as you want,” Rey responded with a grin, cheeks stuffed with food. Finn looked back at his plate with wide eyes. As much as he wanted? He’d never been allowed to want  _ anything _ back at First Order, let alone the small things, like two servings of meals. He grabbed a helping, took a bite, and moaned so loudly that Poe choked on his food. Finn glanced over sheepishly.

“Sorry, I’m just not used to such good food is all. All I’ve really ever had is the protein packs back at the academy, and whatever was cheapest at the Leaky Cauldron. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Poe’s cheeks were bright red, presumably from the lack of oxygen. “Yeah, you - uh - you really startled me. That’s definitely what happened.”

It was at this moment that Rey leaned over with a smirk. “Hey Poe, guess what? Finn’s never played Quidditch. Never even seen a match.”

_ “WHAT?!” _

Poe had yelled so loudly that the entire room seemed to freeze for a moment, all eyes on the three professors. Finn tried to subtly sink down in his seat to hide behind the table, mortified. He just couldn’t catch a break from all this staring, it seemed. He’d never been so interesting to so many people in his entire life, he was sure. 

The chatter in the room picked up again, and Finn breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to Poe, who was grimacing contritely. “No, I haven’t. Entertainment wasn’t exactly a priority back at the academy. But I don’t really get the appeal of brooms, to be honest. I mean, why would you fly a broom somewhere when you could just apparate?”

Poe gaped at him, horrified. “Because it’s fun?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

Poe sighed, throwing his arm around Finn’s shoulder. “Finn, there’s nothing quite like flying. When you’re up there in the wind, it’s like -”

“Poe, let’s not scare off Finn  _ right _ away. Why don’t you wait a bit before going full-blown Quidditch freak on him? I’ve known you for years, and even I think it’s a bit weird.”

Poe flushed. “It’s not  _ freakish _ . It’s a healthy enjoyment of the greatest sport in existence.”

Finn actually found Poe’s child-like enthusiasm endearing, but he was more interested in something else Rey had said. “You’ve known each other for years?”

Poe grinned. “Yeah. Rey was in her 6th year when I joined the staff. She was a great student, but I practically had to bribe her to get out of the greenhouse and into my classroom.”

“Hey! I’ll have you know that I did extremely well in that class, and on the Transfiguration N.E.W.T.”

“Yeah, only because I didn’t flunk you for excessive absences.”

Finn had a sudden thought, remembering what Rey had said about Poe earlier. “Poe, if you were an auror, why wouldn’t you be the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor?”

Poe shrugged, looking down at his plate a tad somberly. “When Snap, Jess, and I left the Ministry to come here, we all agreed that we’d had enough of the dark arts, and defending ourselves against them, to last us a lifetime,” He looked up at Finn, his eagerness from before seeping back into his expression as quickly as it had disappeared. “Besides, Transfiguration is incredible! I mean, I can teach kids how to turn a broomstick into a  _ cooler _ broomstick! Or conjure a flock of  _ birds _ ! Or make an entire stadium disappear! Not that you  _ should _ do that, but you could! Transfiguration, man. It’s awesome.”

Finn laughed. “I’m sensing flying is a recurring theme with you.”

“Finn, buddy, you have  _ no _ idea.”

 

 

******

 

 

Finn followed the students into the Slytherin common room after the feast, eager to meet his new charges. He came in just in time to catch the tail end of the prefects’ speech to the first years regarding rules and directions in regard to the Slytherin quarters. As the older students concluded their talks, all eyes turned to Finn, curiosity plain on every face. Finn went to stand in front of the fireplace, and smiled as all one hundred or so Slytherins crowded around him, sitting on the sofas, on the floor, and standing around in a huddle.

“Well... uh…. It looks like we’ll all be spending a lot of time together, so I guess it’s best that you get to know me a bit,” he paused, hesitating. And he thought he’d been nervous before… “Is that alright?” The kids nodded eagerly, though Finn couldn’t tell if they were just being polite, or if they were actually interested. “Well, I went to First Order Academy, as you already know, and I taught there for five years. I taught duels, which apparently isn’t a subject here. That’s good, though. I’d much rather you learn to protect yourselves than to fight people.”

One of the students raised their hand. Finn nodded, allowing the question. “Why did you leave, sir?”

Now, Finn wasn’t about to tell a group of children about the systematic prejudice and cruelty that was ingrained into the very heart of the First Order. That was a bit much. So what he said was: “The headmaster is a crazy jerk who smelled like rotten eggs. It got to be a bit much. A man can only deal with body odor for so long, you know?”

The kids burst into giggles, and Finn smiled. Hopefully, they’d warm to him quickly.

“There’s not much to tell, after that. Professor Dameron found me in Diagon Alley and practically dragged me to Hogwarts, and here I am. I’m sorry, though, that you had to lose your Head of House because of me.”

The older students laughed even harder at that. One student, who looked like they were at least fifteen, piped up. “Believe us, sir, we’re more grateful to you than anything else.”

Finn grinned. He leaned forward conspiratorially. “Don’t tell anyone, but Professor Dameron was so happy that she was leaving that he actually pumped his fist in the air to celebrate. I can’t be sure, but there might have been some dancing. Even Headmaster Organa told me she didn’t like her. So, you’re not alone in your feelings,” the students all grinned, happy to be in on the hot gossip. He checked his watch. “Well, it’s nearly ten o’clock. I’ll let you guys get ready for bed, though I’ll hang around in here for a bit if you have any questions.”

The kids dispersed, some heading to the dormitories while others hung back to catch up with their housemates. A few of the older students were giving him skeptical looks, and he could tell he hadn’t completely won them over yet. Finn looked around, trying to get a feel for his new students, when he saw a little girl crying on one of the couches in the corner. He moved over to her quickly, unable to stand the sight of a sad child.

“Hey there, buddy. What’s your name?”

“Syal,” she whispered thickly, tears flowing freely. “Syal Antilles.”

“Well, hello there, Syal. My name’s Finn. You wanna tell me what’s going on?”

She sniffled pitifully, and Finn’s heart broke for her. She was a first year, Finn remembered from the sorting,  and he could only imagine how scared she must have been, to be away from her family for the first time. He wrapped an arm around her, letting her lean against him while she cried.

“I - I don’t want to be a Slytherin,” she sobbed into Finn’s chest. “My whole family’s Gryffindors! What if they’re mad at me? Why can’t I be a Gryffindor like them?”

Finn sighed, rubbing her back soothingly. He pulled back, until he could look her in the eyes. “Kiddo, don’t worry about it. Your family loves you. What house you’re in doesn’t matter when it comes to how they feel about you,” he paused. “And as for not wanting to be in Slytherin, why not? I didn’t even know what a Slytherin  _ was _ until two days ago - ” she giggled at that, apparently amused by his ignorance. Well, as long as she was laughing. “ - And I like being one just fine. What’s wrong with being clever and ambitious? Those are all great things, in my eyes. In fact, if I met someone who was a cunning and resourceful and loyal, I’d want them to be my friend. So I guess that means I want  _ you _ to be my friend. Is that okay with you?”

Syal nodded, her tears all but gone. “I’d like that, Mr. Finn.”

He pulled her into a hug. “Now, go on upstairs and get ready for bed. It’s the first day of classes tomorrow, and I need to get my beauty sleep.”

She laughed brightly, squeezing him tightly before racing up the stairs to the girls’ dormitory. Finn smiled, glad to have helped ease her fears. He got up to leave, but not before he caught the eyes of a few of the older students, who had apparently been watching the exchange. They all sent him a thumbs up, beaming from ear to ear. Well, at least he’d gained another point in the students’ books. He hoped Rey was finding similar success with her kids. 

By the time he finally got into bed, he felt lighter, somehow, like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He liked his students enormously, and it seemed like the feeling was mutual, for the most part.

  
Now, for the actual teaching part of the equation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks again to gammadolphin for beta-ing!!
> 
> i'm on tumblr: senatorgana


	3. in which Finn learns to fly.

The next morning, Finn practically ran to Rey’s quarters, banging on her door eagerly. 

“Rey! Come on, get up! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, especially when you’re going to be teaching a bunch of sleepy eleven year olds!”

The door swung open, and he was met with a scowling Rey, still in her pajamas, her hair in disarray. “I regret ever becoming friends with you.”

“Well, it’s only been three days. There’s still time reconsider.”

“Nice try, Finn. You’re stuck with me,” she sighed, running her hands through the tangled bird’s nest that had become her hair. “Okay: you’re going to give me ten minutes to get ready, during which you’re going to go to the Great Hall and pour me a cup of tea. Deal?”

She didn’t wait for Finn to answer, simply slamming the door in his face. He laughed, heading over to the hall. He walked up to the faculty table, sitting down and grabbing a piece of toast, as well as a teacup for Rey. He hadn’t been sitting for more than two minutes when someone groaned from behind him. He looked over to see Poe slump into the chair next to him, burying his head in his arms on the table.

“...good morning?”

Poe turned his head just enough for Finn to see one eye blink at him blearily. “Not until I’ve had my coffee, Finn. Then we’ll see about how good this morning is.”

Finn laughed, passing the pot of coffee over to Poe. It was an amusing sight, to see the older man try and pour a cup and mix his cream and sugar with his head still on the table and his eyes half open. “I take it you’re not a morning person?”

“I can appreciate a pretty sunrise, for sure, but sleeping is one of my favorite hobbies.”

“I get that. Since leaving First Order I’ve learned to appreciate sleeping for more than five hours at a time.”

Poe lifted his head to stare at Finn in horror, all but ignoring Rey as she plopped down into the seat on Finn’s other side. “Five hours?”

Finn shrugged, turning back to his toast. Rey leaned over, looking between the two men anxiously. “Any words of wisdom on teaching for the first time?”

“Try not to murder anyone. Thirteen year olds are the worst.”

“Thanks, Poe. Real helpful. Finn?”

“...be nice?”

“Wow. That was almost worse than Poe’s advice.”

“I try.”

*****************

Finn gave Rey a quick hug for luck before heading up the stairs toward his classroom, wanting to have some time to prepare prior to the students’ arrival. His first class of the day was a N.E.W.T. level, which meant there were fewer students. He double checked the schedule Leia had given him: it looked like they were seventh years, from all four houses. At least he could get a feel for what Phasma had taught them, since he was dealing with older students.

He’d just finished setting up when the first students began to arrive, a pair of older Slytherins he recognized from the night before. They were some of the ones who had seemed less than impressed with him. Oh good. 

Class was meant to start at 8:30, but when the time came around there were only nine students in the room. He stared at them all, befuddled. 

“I’m sorry, are we waiting on anyone else? Did you have anyone else in your N.E.W.T. class last year?”

At their shaking heads, his brow furrowed further. “I don’t understand. There are at least sixty people in your year: why are there so few of you?”

One of the Ravenclaws raised her hand. “Sir, Professor Phasma only accepted students who got an Outstanding on their O.W.L.’s.”

“And only nine of you did?” The kids nodded, and he sighed. “Well, that’s more of a reflection on the teacher than on the students, in my book.”

They all laughed, evidently pleased with his growing distaste for Phasma. He couldn’t believe how much everyone seemed to dislike her. He almost pitied her for it.

“Alright, let’s go over the syllabus. We’ll be jumping around the textbook a bit, making sure you have a practical and versatile repertoire before you graduate. Would anyone like to go over what you learned last year, so I can get a feel for where you’re at?” The same ravenclaw raised her hand again eagerly. “Yes, Miss…?”

“Jamillia, sir. Ayesha Jamillia. When we started our N.E.W.T. classes, Professor Phasma taught us advanced spellwork, going over more complicated curses and hexes. We also studied dementors and werewolves.”

“...and?”

She paused, perplexed. “And what, Professor? That’s it.”

“You spent an entire year learning jinxes?” The kids all nodded, and he sighed. “Well, it looks like we’ll be shifting into high gear right from the get-go.” A few of the students looked at him as if he had spoken a foreign language. “Oh, sorry. That’s a muggle expression. I just meant that we’re going to hit the ground running this semester. You guys have missed out on a lot of this subject, if all you’ve learned is how to duel. Or rather, fight. Do you know how to produce a shield charm?”

The shook their heads. He groaned, putting his face in his hands. He looked up to see one of the four Slytherins looking quite confused. 

“What’s wrong, Miss…?”

“Koon, sir. Sha Koon. I was just wondering, are you a muggleborn, Professor?”

Finn raised a brow. “Yes, I am. Is that going to be a problem, Miss Koon?” That last name sounded familiar to him - perhaps she came from an old wizarding family?

She startled, eyes widening. “Oh, no sir! It’s just - that’s unusual, for a Slytherin.”

“I wouldn’t know, really.” She looked quite flustered, blushing furiously. He was glad to realize she was embarrassed that he had assumed she was showing blood prejudice, not at being called out. He smiled. “But never mind that. We might as well go through the textbook a bit more thoroughly before I try to figure out all of your names,” he joked.

The rest of the class went smoothly, as did the majority of the day (there had been some tears from a first year Gryffindor during third period: it had not been fun). When he met Rey for lunch, he found that she’d had much the same experience. “It was great! Even the thirteen year olds Poe warned me about were alright.”

“Rey, we’ve only had four classes, and it’s the first day. How have you already managed to get dirt all over your face? You’re not digging around in the planters, are you?”

Rey blushed, trying to wipe some of the dirt from her nose. “I was just showing the kids some of the cooler plants I have in the greenhouse. We have five fully grown Fanged Geraniums! I mean, who doesn’t want to look at a flower that could bite your head off?”

“...Most people, Rey.”

She pouted. “You’re no fun.”

***********************

Classes ended at three o’clock, and Finn spent the rest of the day trying to get acquainted with his Slytherins. They sat in the common room together as the first years regaled him with stories of their first day at Hogwarts, he and the older students humoring them with fond smiles. 

“And then, Professor Dameron turned my textbook into a snitch! A snitch! It flew around the classroom and everything! Transfiguration is the best!”

“No, Charms was the best! Professor Calrissian made water come out of his wand!”

“But what about Potions? Professor Ren is weird, but that one potion was glowing!”

Finn smiled. He remembered his first day of classes at First Order: the strict rules and uncaring attitudes of his professors had done nothing to quell the sheer wonder he’d felt at the sight of real magic.

“Hey, don’t write off Defense Against the Dark Arts. Just you wait. Tomorrow you’ll have me, and then all you’re gonna talk about is how cool my subject is.”

The kids giggled, before bombarding Finn with questions about what he learned at First Order, how it was different to Hogwarts. He was happy enough to answer them, with slightly watered down versions of the truth. Somehow, he didn’t think these little guys would appreciate hearing about the harsh realities of the First Order.

They soon grew bored of school talk, and moved on to entertainment: namely, teaching Finn how to play exploding snap. Personally, Finn wasn’t particularly thrilled at the thought of a game that involved explosions of any kind, but the kids were insistent. The older students took great pleasure in beating him soundly in every match he played, while the younger ones laughed at his defeat. He swore revenge, however, and promised that he’d crush them all in wizard’s chess the next day. 

He spent some time after that with the little ones, looking out the windows into the lake, trying to get a glimpse of a grindylow, or a mermaid, or even the giant squid. They caught sight of a few merpeople before the sun went down and they lost their light, but Finn had yet to see the squid.

Soon, Mr. Squid. Soon.

The students went up to their dorms smiling, which Finn counted as a win. It was a small one, but a victory nonetheless.

All in all, it was a good day. A great day, even. 

Finn left the common room in great spirits, walking to his rooms and smiling softly to himself. He went to his trunks, intending to start unpacking, when there was a knock at the door. He opened it, only to find Poe and Rey on the other side of the door, grinning widely and holding a bottle of what looked like elderflower wine. 

“We thought we might celebrate our first day?”

Finn smiled, pulling the door open further to let them in. “I was just unpacking. Come on in,” he walked back into his bedroom, pulling out his suitcases and bringing them into the main room. “Do you mind if I keep going? This mess is driving me crazy.”

They nodded, before moving to help him. Rey went about unpacking his books, putting aside the ones he was going to take to his office, and stacking the rest on the bookshelf in his bedroom. 

Rey paused in her movements, however, turning to face Finn with an odd look on her face. “What’s this?”

She was holding his old helmet, completely baffled.

“Oh, that? We spent a lot of time learning combat and dueling techniques back at the academy. It was easier to give us helmets than waste time sending people to the hospital wing after we hit our head too hard going down after a spell.”

Poe and Rey stared at him. “Finn...you know that’s not normal, right? That’s seriously messed up.”

Finn shrugged. “I know. It doesn’t make it any less true, though.”

Poe took the helmet from Rey, turning it over in his hands. “Do you mind if I keep this, Finn?”

“Sure. I don’t really need it anymore, do I?” And he didn’t. In fact, he didn’t want it, not even out out of sentimentality. Finn found that the more time he spent at Hogwarts, with Poe and Rey and his students, the more he wanted to leave the First Order behind, for good.

 

************

“Finn, it’s been a month. Why is your office still so boring?”

“...boring?”

“You know, there’s no personality to it. It’s just books and a desk, really.”

Finn looked around from where he was leaning on his desk, shrugging. Rey was sitting in one of the seats normally reserved for his students, looking around his barren office despairingly. She stood up suddenly, determined.

“We’re gonna fix this.”

And she was gone, leaving Finn in his office while she wandered off to start her newest project (the one prior to this was a quest to educate Finn on the wonders of chocolate. It had been a rousing success.). He didn’t bother to follow her, knowing better than to try and stop her once she put her mind to something. He’d leave her to her plotting, and go back to what he’d been doing before she’d barged into his office: lesson plans.

Finn loved Rey, and was grateful every day for her friendship, but it was harder to force himself to do boring old paperwork when he could go spend time with her. He’d never had this problem before, but then again, he’d never had a friend before: his entire world had been his work, had been serving the First Order. 

Rey hadn’t been gone twenty minutes before she reappeared, a huge potted bush floating behind her. He raised a brow. 

“Snap said he’d bring over some muggle artwork he has lying around, and Jess is gonna bring in an old record player. But I thought to myself, ‘What says ‘welcome home’ more than a house plant?’”

Finn walked over, examining the plant that she’d set down in the corner. “...are these plums growing upside down?”

“Yup. It’s a dirigible plum bush. They taste great, plus it looks really cool. People say that eating dirigible plums enhances your ability to ‘accept the extraordinary’. So maybe if you eat enough of these you will come to truly appreciate my genius.”

“Where’d you read that, the Quibbler?”

“....no?”

Finn snorted, going to tease her some more, when he was cut off by a knock at the door. He turned to see Poe smiling at the door, holding his old helmet. 

“Hey, bud. Nice plums.”

“Thanks. They grow upside down.”

“So I’ve heard,” Poe looked down at the helmet in his hands, fidgeting nervously. “Rey said she was looking for things to decorate your office, and I - uh - I had an idea? I mean, I’ve had it for a while, I just didn’t know how to bring it up - well, if it’s okay with you - ”

“Poe. What is it?”

“Maybe it would be best if I just showed you?” 

Finn nodded, gesturing for Poe to come in. He walked over and placed the old First Order helmet on Finn’s desk. He tapped the helmet once, transfiguring it into what looked like a simple fishbowl, filled with water. On the surface, there was a small leaf. Finn looked over at Poe, perplexed. 

“Poe, it’s not that I don’t appreciate good magic when I see it, but I don’t understand - “

“Just - give it a second.”

Finn watched as the leaf slowly began to sink to the bottom of the bowl, still skeptical. That is, until it actually hit said bottom. Before Finn’s eyes, the leaf transformed into a squid, of all things, no bigger than an egg. Finn looked over at Poe, gaping.

Rey whooped. “That was incredible! Where’d you learn that spell, Poe?”

Poe shrugged bashfully, before turning to Finn. “I understand if you don’t like it, but I thought it might be nice for something good to come out of that godforsaken helmet. When I think about how many times you must have been hurting while wearing that thing - “ He sighed, cutting himself off. “Now you don’t have to look at that reminder, and you get Gail! The squid, that is. I remembered how excited you were about the giant squid in the lake when you first got here, so I thought you might like a little one of your own.”

Finn smiled softly, looking back at the tank. “I love it. She’s adorable.”

Poe slumped in relief, pleased that Finn was happy with his gift. “Thank god. I thought you might get mad at me for messing with your childhood heirloom.”

Finn snorted. “Hardly,” he paused. “Gail?”

Poe shrugged. “I thought it suited her.” He looked around, before grabbing a plum off his new bush, placing it in the water. With a wave of his wand, the plum was transfigured into a small model of Hogwarts, one with plenty of arches for Gail the Squid to flit in and out of.

Finn smiled softly, wrapping his arm around Poe companionably. “There. Now you’ve given me and Gail a home. Isn’t that something?”

 

***********************

Finn went to Great Hall at seven o’clock on the dot. Rising with the sun was a habit from his First Order days he’d yet to shake; even on a Saturday, when he had no classes and no immediate duties to fulfill. He was surprised, however, to see Poe sitting at the Gryffindor table, chatting amicably with what looked like twenty or so first years. Poe had on many an occasion shown up to the Great Hall five minutes before the first classes of the day, chugged a cup of coffee, stolen a piece of toast, and walked with Finn blearily to his classroom, mourning the loss of his mountain of blankets all the while. 

Needless to say, Poe was not a morning person. But here he was, laughing with the first years at a time he’d once referred to as ‘the devil’s hour.’ Poe looked up, and as his eyes met Finn’s he burst into a wide grin, waving him over. 

“Finn! Come on! They made that gross oatmeal you like!”

Finn rolled his eyes, sitting in the empty spot across from Poe that the students had made for him. “For the last time, it’s not gross, it’s healthy. It’s not my fault that you eat like a teenager.”

Poe said nothing, simply sticking out his tongue before taking a bite into what appeared to be his second chocolate chip muffin.

Finn started in on his breakfast, and after a time he looked over at the student next to him, Syal, who was always adorably eager during his classes and usually asked twenty questions per lesson. He loved her. “So, Miss Antilles, what are you all doing up so early?”

She lit up, practically bouncing in her seat in her excitement. “We’re gonna fly on a broomstick! Professor Dameron’s gonna show us how!”

He looked over at the other students, who were nodding along happily, all looking just as enthusiastic as Syal. “Is that so?”

“Yup! We get to do it on the weekend because Professor Dameron says that flying is for fun and not for school.”

Finn smiled at her warmly, before turning to Poe. “That explains it. Only Quidditch could get you up this early without any whining.”

Poe shrugged, unrepentant. “It’s true. Quidditch is my one true love,” the kids giggled at this, and Poe smirked. “You know, Professor, you’re welcome to join us. I’d like to see you handle a broomstick, see where you land,” he said with a wink. 

Why was Poe winking at him? Did he think Finn was going to fall off his broom if he tried to fly? 

“I would, but I’ve never actually been on a broom.”

Poe gasped in horror, the students following suit. “...never?”

“Nope,” Finn felt a little tense now, especially with the mournful look Poe was giving him, as if he was imagining Finn’s miserable, Quidditch-less childhood. 

It had been miserable and Quidditch-less, but the thought of Poe pitying him made Finn uncomfortable.

“Well, I’m gonna go grade some papers. Good luck, kids! Try not to knock Professor Dameron off his broom too many times.”

“But Professor! Don’t you want to see us fly?”

Syal had turned to Finn with wide, sad eyes, and it took him less than ten seconds to cave in the face of such adorableness. 

He sighed. “How about this: I’ll go get the papers I need to grade, and I’ll meet you all at the Quidditch pitch. I’ll be your biggest fan.”

The kids all cheered, hurrying out of their seats to line up at the door and wait for Poe to catch up. 

“They really love you, Poe.”

Poe smiled at him softly. “I was about to say the same thing to you. I think they’re almost more excited that you’ll be there than they are about the actual flying.”

Poe gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder before heading after the kids, leading them out of the hall. Finn could hear what sounded like the beginning of Poe’s ‘Quidditch is a Gift to Mankind’ speech as they headed down the hall. Finn himself headed up to his office, grabbing his fifth years’ papers on the history and dangers of the Inferi. Not a particularly pleasant subject, though he supposed watching Poe fly around on a broom might lift his spirits some. He stopped by the greenhouse on his way down to meet the group, looking to invite Rey to join him. She was exactly where he thought she’d be: playing around with her bowtruckle crop. 

“Hey, I’m going down to the Quidditch Pitch to watch Poe teach the first years, wanna come?”

Rey jumped up, grinning widely. “Poe invited you to watch him fly?”

“Well, the first years, more accurately.”

“I’ll pass, thanks. I wouldn’t want to be a third wheel during a prime flirting opportunity. I’d bet ten galleons that Poe will do a Wronski Feint trying to impress you at some point.”

“I have no idea what that is.”

“Trust me, you will by the end of the day. You go on, though, and try not to stare at Poe too much.”

He had never actually been to the Quidditch Pitch before, and so when he found himself standing at the entrance, he didn’t quite know where to go. Luckily, Poe spotted him, dragging him by the hand (Finn still couldn’t manage to stop blushing every time Poe even touched him, let alone held his hand. He’d never been so grateful for his dark complexion.) up the to the stadium seats, where the first years were all sitting in the Gryffindor section impatiently. 

“All right, gang, here’s what we’re going to do. We’re taking off from up here, rather than on the pitch. You can’t learn to fly when you’re on the ground, am I right?”

Finn and the kids both stared at him. Surely Poe wasn’t going to have the students fly a broom for the first time when they were several stories up in the stands?

Poe turned to the open field of the the pitch and waved his wand. A large net sprang from the end, stretching from post to post, covering the entire arena. “You didn’t think I was going to risk you cuties falling, did you?”

Finn sat on one of the rear benches, content to watch as Poe walked over to each student, adjusting their grips and righting their stances before they pushed off from the stands. He was so patient, so gentle with them, listening to each child as if they were the only person in the world, giving them his complete attention. He was constantly cracking jokes, settling the nerves of the more anxious students by making them laugh. Finn had known, intellectually, that Poe must have been good with kids. He was a teacher, for Merlin’s sake. But watching Poe with the first years, seeing how deeply he cared for them and how much he genuinely enjoyed spending time with them, was doing funny things to Finn’s heart. 

The first thing Poe did once he was in the air was fall off his broomstick. Finn gaped. After all that talk from Rey about him being a Quidditch prodigy - 

“See guys? Perfectly safe. If this net can catch a grumpy old Professor, it can definitely handle a cute little eleven-year-old. You’re perfectly safe up here.”

Oh. That was actually a smart move. 

Poe started to pontificate on the cultural significance of flying on a broom, and while Finn could normally listen to the man talk about paint drying with no complaints, he had heard this speech several times, and needed to get to work on grading the papers. 

Finn had a system: he’d go through three papers, then take a break and watch the kids fly. It was a good plan, and was only interrupted occasionally, when one of the students would call for his attention, so he could see them fly three feet without falling off their brooms. 

Eventually Finn became absorbed in his task, as he was wont to do, and didn’t come up for air until he finally finished his grading. He looked up, only to see Poe smiling down at him, leaning against the railing, the children nowhere to be seen.

“Oh, did the kids leave?”

“Yeah. About thirty minutes ago. They wanted to say goodbye, but you seemed pretty wrapped up in your work.”

“Well then, what have you been doing for the last half hour?”

“Oh, um - Enjoying the view?” Poe said, his cheeks a little pink. Probably from the wind, Finn mused. 

He looked past Poe and onto the horizon: the pitch itself was quite extraordinary to Finn, having never seen one before, but in the distance he could see the castle clearly, the sun glinting off the large, ornate windows. “It’s really something, isn’t it?”

Poe nodded absently, still looking at Finn. “So, I’ve been thinking. Do you want to fly with me?”

Finn absolutely did not want to fly around in the air with only a wooden stick to hold him up. He had no interest whatsoever. Still, he supposed greater sacrifices had been made in the name of a crush, so - 

“I’ll give it a shot.”

The smile Poe sent his way was worth risking his life on a splintery death trap, Finn found. It was nothing short of beatific, and brilliant. Sometimes Poe was so beautiful it was hard to look at him. 

And so Finn found himself straddling a broomstick, Poe right behind him, whispering encouragement into his ears. If falling off didn’t kill him, surely being this close to Poe would finish the job. He didn’t think he’d ever blushed so much in his entire life. Poe kept reaching around to hold his hands and adjust his grip on the handle, until they were practically spooning on the broom. Poe’s chin was resting on Finn’s shoulder so that he could get a proper view of his technique, and every time he turned his head he could feel Poe’s nose brush against his cheek. It was the most intimate thing he’d ever done, easily.

“Alright, I think we’ve gone over everything. You ready?”

No. “I think so?”

He could feel Poe smiling, cheek to cheek as they were. “All right then. Push off with me, okay? Three, two, one - ”

And they were off. Finn was flying. 

“Alright, let’s try to take a lap around the pitch. Now, if you just lean forward - good, good, just like that.”

Finn had to admit, it wasn’t that bad. He could see the appeal, for sure. Although Finn was pretty sure he wouldn’t be enjoying flying quite as much if Poe didn’t have his arms wrapped around him, chest flush against his back. 

They landed after making a few laps, Poe smiling widely. “See, buddy? You’re a natural!” His grin turned a bit mischievous, and he asked: “Now how about some real flying?”

“Oh no,” Finn said, looking between Poe and the broom nervously.

“Oh yes,” Poe said, grabbing Finn and pulling him onto the broom behind him. “Hold on tight, okay?”

Finn was no fool. For one thing, he didn’t want to die, but for another, he wasn’t about to pass up an opportunity to hold Poe in his arms. So when Poe looked to him for permission, he nodded his assent. 

Poe pushed up with much more force than he had when Finn had been leading, flying up higher and higher, until they were well above the tall turrets of the stadium. He clutched at Poe’s waist even tighter than he already was, scowling as the other man chuckled in response. 

“Some of us were not birds in another life, Dameron,” he scolded, squeezing his eyes tightly shut.

“Hey,” Poe said, elbowing him gently, “Keep your eyes open, okay? I want you to see something.”

Poe led them off the pitch and toward the lake, diving sharply down toward the surface (Which Finn was not amused by), pulling up just before the surface, close enough for Finn to reach down and touch the water. Finn used this opportunity to splash Poe a bit, tossing the water toward his face. Poe only laughed, pleased that he was loosening up a bit. 

The view of the lake was stunning, and the way the sun reflected on the water was truly incredible, but Finn couldn’t stop looking at Poe.

His hair was being pushed from his face, the curls growing more and more wild as they continued to fly. His cheeks were ruddy and red from the wind, but he hadn’t stopped smiling once since they’d taken off. And while Finn could only really get a view of Poe’s profile, he could see the way his eyes were lit up, filled with joy. It was one thing to hear Poe talk about how much he loved flying: it was another thing entirely to experience it firsthand. Poe looked like he belonged up there in the sky, in the wind. It was breathtaking.

Poe suddenly shot up, directing them toward the castle, laughing raucously as they soared around the stone towers and under the suspended bridges and archways. Finn found himself laughing along with Poe, the older man’s enthusiasm too infectious to resist. 

Poe eventually settled them back on their feet, but it wasn’t on the ground. Instead, he landed on the balcony of the astronomy tower, the highest point in the castle. At Finn’s confused glance, he smiled. 

“I wanted you to see this. It’s my favorite spot in all of Hogwarts.”

Finn could see why. The sun had just started to set, and the pinks and purples and oranges were bathing the castle in a warm glow, the light reflecting off the windows in a dazzling manner. He could see for miles: from the lake, to the Forbidden Forest, and, behind them, the rolling hills that made up the Scottish countryside. It was one of the most picturesque, gorgeous things he’d ever seen (Poe included).

He looked back at Poe, only to see the other man watching him fondly. “What?”

“I’ll never forget the look on your face when you saw Hogwarts for the first time. You were so inspired, so amazed: it made me fall in love with this place all over again. I just,” he paused, looking out at their surroundings. “I just wanted to see you smile like that again.”

Poe leant forward, resting his elbows on the safety railings. Finn followed suit, bumping up against him gently. 

“Thank you, for giving this to me. For sharing it with me.”

Poe smiled softly. “Nowhere else I’d rather be, buddy.”

Me too, Finn thought, looking back out to see the sun begin to fade into the horizon. He sighed, leaning his head on Poe’s shoulder. He found, for all that he was unwilling to fly at first, and for all that he was still nervous to get on that broom, he didn’t want this night to end. Finn would have been quite happy to stay there, close to Poe, for as long as he could.

Of course, he just had to go and ruin the moment. “Hey, Poe? What’s a Wronski Feint?”

As he heard Poe let out a truly sinister chuckle, he found that he really, really didn’t want to know the answer. 

Damn it, Rey.


	4. in which finn encounters a boggart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> remember when i said i'd probably hit every hp fic trope? this is what i meant.

 

“Poe, how does BB manage to deliver your mail? That stack of letters is almost as big as her.”

Poe looked over at the small bird, grinning as she landed heavily onto the table, scattering his mail all over his plate. “You know, Rey, I think it’s sheer willpower. The one time I tried to get a bigger bird to carry a package for me, she pecked my head for ten straight minutes. Message received, little lady. Message received.”

BB cooed at Poe grumpily, as if offended by his very mentioning of another bird, before turning to his plate and picking at the crumbs from his toast (“I can’t eat eggs, Finn, BB always shares with me! Feeding her eggs would be barbaric!”).

“What breed is she, anyway? I’ve never seen a bird like her.”

“Oh, she’s a black-throated bushtit.”

Rey choked on her muffin. “Excuse me?”

“I didn’t come up with it,” Poe laughed. He reached over to grab one of the letters he’d been sent, smiling as he glanced at the return address. He all but ripped it open, grinning from ear to ear as he scanned the first of what looked like ten pages. On page two, he snorted ,then turned to Jess. “My dad says, ‘Hello Jessica, my dearest fake daughter - have the stars told you how to cure my son’s stupidity? Astronomy is your area of expertise, after all.’ What a jerk.”

Jess laughed, grabbing the letter out of Poe’s hands, ignoring his protests. “What’s he calling you stupid for?” She scanned the letter, chuckling as she reached the fourth page. “‘Now Poe, as nice as it is to hear that your friend Finn is acclimating well to Hogwarts, and that he’s become a fast favorite of the students, and that he let you teach him to fly, and that his smile lights up a room, and how he’s ‘just so different from what you’d expect, coming from First Order’; when I ask ‘how have you been?’ I actually want to know how  _ you _ are. Honestly, you’d think I’d asked for a biography about the man,’” Jess read Poe’s father’s letter aloud, ignoring her friend’s red face as Snap howled with laughter next to her. He took the letter next, picking up where she left off.

“'But I must say, I’m looking forward to meeting this young man. It takes a very special person to distract my son from both Quidditch  _ and _ the great Leia Organa for eight whole pages of a letter. It reminds me of when I first met your mother' - ”

Jess and Snap cackled as Poe snatched the letter back, beet-red and scowling. “You guys are assholes,” he said with a huff, studiously avoiding meeting Finn’s eyes.

“You wrote  _ eight pages _ about me? To your dad?” He asked, smiling widely. He didn’t understand why Poe was so flustered: it was awfully sweet of him, and it was nice to think that Poe cared about Finn enough to merit mentioning to his father.

Poe glanced over at him, still blushing. “Well, yeah. You’re the most exciting thing that’s happened to Hogwarts in a while, bud. Besides, you’re important to me, which means that you’re important to my dad. Well, you’re going to be, at least.”

Finn gave him a soft smile, nudging Poe’s shoulder with his own gently, before turning back to his breakfast, giving the older man a chance to finish reading his father’s letter before classes started. He studiously ignored the ridiculous eyebrow waggling coming from Rey’s direction. Honestly, there was nothing romantic about mentioning a new friend to your parent, even if it was over the course of eight pages instead of, say, a few sentences.

 

 

 

******

 

 

On Fridays Finn had a free period, usually intended for lesson planning, after his third class of the day. However, due to what Rey called an ‘obsessive need to be prepared and show us all up’, Finn found that he had the next four weeks of classes meticulously planned. There was only so much organizing one could do before it became a bit sad, and while Finn would normally flip through a book in his office during his planning period, he elected to wander toward one of the courtyards on the lower levels: it was one of his favorite places on the campus, and not only because it was just outside Poe’s classroom. He’d spent many an afternoon sitting on one of the benches grading papers, and had even taken his classes to the small courtyard at times, when the weather had been simply too beautiful to be cooped up in a classroom. 

Finn settled onto one of the benches, wrapped up in a scarf and coat against the early November chill, and managed to get through about three pages of  _ Sonnets of a Sorcerer  _ (a gift from Snap, surprisingly enough) when he heard laughter from across the courtyard; from Poe’s classroom. He grinned, putting his book down and wandering over, poking his head in the open doorway. 

“...the principle behind a conjuring spell isn’t all that different from a summoning spell, when you think about it. And you spent what, like, two weeks figuring that crap out with Professor Calrissian? You’ve got this, kiddos,” Poe paused, having noticed Finn in the back. He smirked. “It’s the same basic principle: you just have to have a clear image of what you’re summoning or conjuring. For example,” he raised his wand, aiming it at Finn. “ _ Accio _ wristwatch.”

Finn found himself being dragged across the room, practically flung toward Poe by his wrist, until he crashed into the other man, sending them toppling onto the floor. Finn pushed himself onto his hands from where he’d ended up: straddling Poe. The two men simply stared at each other for a time, flustered. Finn had imagined being in this very position with Poe more times than he’d care to admit, but a classroom full of students had not once featured in his fantasies, funnily enough. Had they not been surrounded by cackling sixteen year olds, he might have been tempted to just say ‘to hell with it’ and kiss Poe, consequences be damned. But they were, and so he scrambled ungracefully off the other man, face burning.

Poe followed suit, looking a bit dazed (Finn hoped he hadn’t hit his head) and blushing fiercely, probably embarrassed to have fallen in front of his class. He cleared his throat awkwardly, brushing off his robes. “You know, I’d assumed the watch would have come  _ off _ the person it was attached to.”

This only made the class laugh harder, and Finn himself ended up chuckling, his own embarrassment forgotten in the face of Poe’s chagrin. 

“Alright, kids, now for a demonstration of some conjuration, which will hopefully be less disastrous. Remember, the key is to have a clear image in your head of what you’re seeking,” he gave his wand a quick wave, and a single rose appeared, Poe catching it mid-air. He offered the flower to Finn, winking. “A beautiful rose for a beautiful professor.”

The students giggled as Finn, blushing yet again, accepted the rose. As Poe turned to the class, instructing them on the technical aspects of the  _ Aguamenti _ spell, Finn couldn’t help the silly grin that spread across his face as he looked down at the flower.

Poe thought he was beautiful?   
  


 

******

 

 

 

Finn was looking forward to his lesson with the fourth years today: the kids were going to face a boggart, after spending the last few classes studying the creatures. He’d enjoyed his class with boggarts back at the academy immensely: for once, the students had been encouraged to have fun and find the humor in a situation. It was pretty much the only time he’d laughed during his time at First Order. Besides, every student had been afraid of the same thing: Headmaster Snoke. 

By the time the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs arrived in the afternoon, he’d already pulled out the wardrobe the boggart was being held in. He smiled widely as they all came in, tittering with excitement.

“Professor Finn! Is the boggart in there? Can I go first? Pleeease? I’ve been practicing the wand movements all weekend!” Shouted one of the more eager students, a Hufflepuff named Kit Fisto. 

(“Haven’t I heard your name before?” Finn had asked on the first day of class. 

“Yup! My great, great uncle was a famous wizard. He fought in the First Wizarding War with Professor Kenobi. While he was still alive, that is.”)

Finn laughed. “Sure thing, Mr. Fisto. Let’s all gather around! We’ll stand on the sidelines, so we can get a good vantage point,” he walked up to the boy, placing his hands on his shoulders. “Kit,” he said quietly, “If at any point you feel like you can’t handle this, ask for me, okay? There’s no shame in admitting you need help.”

Kit nodded, eyes lit up with determination. Finn walked over to the wardrobe, waiting for the boy’s nod before opening the door.

Out of the wardrobe stepped a strange skeletal creature, hacking and wheezing as he walked toward the trembling student. Kit looked terrified for a split second, before he seemed to steel himself, raising his wand. 

“Riddikulus!”

The monster was suddenly covered in green fur, staring down at itself in confusion.  It was one of the strangest things Finn had ever seen, and it startled a shocked laugh out of him.

“Well done, Mr. Fisto! I’ve never seen a fuzzy skeleton before, there’s one for the books. Who’s next? Ms. Mothma?

(“Why do I recognize your name as well?”

“I was named after my grandmother, sir. Mon Mothma.”

“Is there  _ anyone _ at Hogwarts who isn’t related to some famous wizard? You know what? Don’t answer that.”)

The quiet Ravenclaw girl stepped forward nervously, gasping as the boggart shifted into ghoul, its face contorted in an ugly, snarling grimace. They all knew that ghouls were relatively harmless, but he could see why the girl would be fearful: it really did look quite menacing. She scowled, raising her wand.

“Riddikulus!”

The ghoul suddenly sprouted giant pink wings, sporting a tiara and feather boa. Finn snorted, and the rest of the class let out peals of laughter.

And so it went: each student would step up, and each time they would stand their ground. Finn was quite proud of them all, for being able to face their fears so readily. Among the forms the boggart took were a chimaera, a kelpie, quite a few vampires, and, memorably, a giant jellyfish. 

Eventually, all the students had faced the boggart, and done splendidly. One of the students, a muggleborn Hufflepuff named Jae, asked Finn if he was going to face the boggart with them. Wanting to show solidarity with his students, he agreed readily. The last time he’d faced a boggart, it had morphed into Snoke. He was pretty sure he could handle this.

He stepped in front of the boggart, wand at the ready, and stared in shock as it shifted not into his former headmaster, but Rey.

But why - ?

“Did you really think I would actually care about you? As if I could stand to be friends with such a filthy  _ mudblood _ . You’re just a scared little boy. How pathetic.”

Finn was frozen. He knew that it was just a boggart, he did, but things this Rey was saying were hitting him deeply, preying on his biggest insecurities. Suddenly, Rey was gone, and in her place stood Poe, his handsome face contorted into a sneer.

“You don’t belong here. You don’t belong  _ anywhere _ . Who would want to be with you? Who could want such an unlovable person? You’re  _ nothing _ to me.”

Finn closed his eyes, breathing deeply. He knew, in his heart, that Poe could never be so cruel to  _ anyone _ , let alone Finn. He opened his eyes, staring the imposter down.

“Riddikulus.”

The Poe that stood before them was suddenly dressed in a beautiful ballgown, not unlike one Finn remembered from the old fairytale books he read as a little boy. The boggart looked down at itself, spinning around in distress, making the dress twirl prettily with its movement. The class was near crying with laughter behind him, seemingly forgetting their ‘teacher’s harsh words. Finn himself couldn’t help but laugh, despite how shaken he felt. He unlocked the dresser with a wave of his wand, and stupefied the boggart. The creature, still in the form of Poe, collapsed in a heap, and Finn ended up carrying it bridal style back to the wardrobe. This of course was even more hilarious to the students, and they waved their goodbyes clutching their sides and wiping tears from their eyes.

Finn sighed, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his palms. What had started as an afternoon filled with laughter had turned into a complete nightmare. How was he to know that his deepest, darkest fear was not, in fact, the wicked man responsible for his terrible childhood, but the hatred of his own friends? 

He looked at the clock above the doorway: three o’clock.  He was meant to go to Hogsmeade with Rey, Snap, Jess, and Poe at five for some drinks and dinner at the Three Broomsticks, but he found that he wasn’t quite up to seeing his companions just then, not sure he could look them in the eyes. 

He was glad to run into Jess on his way to his quarters: he told her he was feeling under the weather and wouldn’t be able to go to Hogsmeade, and that way he wouldn’t have to face Rey or Poe.

Finn went into his rooms and sat at his desk, electing to grade some tests his fourth years had taken the week before. He’d meant to grade them over the weekend, but Rey had convinced him to help her plant some mandrakes to help prepare for the midterm exams she was setting. So he dove into grading, looking over their answers to questions like ‘What counter-curse would be used if one’s opponent shouted  _ Levicorpus _ ?’ or ‘What incantation would one use if one was attempting to stun their adversary?’

He’d always hated going over tests, much preferring the actual teaching to the grading itself. Finn found himself growing bored after a few hours, and he wandered into his bedroom, grabbing the book Rey had leant him from off his bedside table. He settled down onto his armchair, flipping through  _ Flesh-Eating Trees of the World _ until he found his place. For all that he complained that herbology was boring, and that he was too impatient for growing plants, Finn had to admit that he was fascinated with this particular subject. Perhaps Rey would make a gardener of him yet, although he doubted she’d let him keep a Venomous Tentacula in the greenhouse.

Finn was startled out of his reading by a knock on his door at 5 o’clock. He opened it, only to find Poe standing on the other side. 

“Hey. Can I come in?”

Finn nodded wordlessly, stepping aside to let Poe through. Poe sat down on the couch, and Finn settled himself back on the armchair, facing his friend nervously. Why was he here? Surely he could tell by now that he had lied to Jess about feeling sick. Was he here to call Finn’s bluff?

“Funny story. I was walking toward the Great Hall to meet up with the gang, when a group of Ravenclaws burst into giggles at the sight of me. It took a while, but I got to the bottom of it. What’s this I hear about me in a gown?”

“It was a very nice dress. It looked quite grand,” Finn said, trying to defend himself. So Poe was feeling emasculated, or embarrassed? That didn’t seem very like him…

“I’m sure it was. I would expect nothing less. But that got me thinking. If your countercurse turned me into a beautiful princess, wouldn’t that mean that  _ I _ was your boggart?”

Ah.

Finn said nothing, staring down at his hands, resting on his knees.

Poe reached over and put his hand over Finn’s. He looked up, meeting Poe’s eyes. The other man didn’t seem angry, just confused, and worried. “What did I do to make you so scared? I thought… well, I don’t know what I thought, but I didn’t think you were  _ afraid _  of me.”

“I’m not! Oh god, Poe, it wasn’t like that. I was just - I saw Rey, as well. The two of you - well, you were - ”

“Oh.”

Finn felt his eyes fill with tears, much to his embarrassment. “I’m sorry, I didn’t - ” he cut himself off, his cracking voice betraying his overwhelming emotions.

“Oh, Finn,” Poe sighed, pulling his hand until he was sitting next to him on the couch. He wrapped his arm around Finn, holding him close as the younger man buried his face in his shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” Finn repeated, unable to help his crying. “It’s just - the things you said…”

Poe said nothing, simply holding Finn as he wept. Finn hadn’t realized how shaken he’d been, how deeply the boggart had affected him.

“Finn, look at me,” he did, and was surprised to see that Poe’s own eyes were a bit red and wet, as well. “I don’t care what that boggart said, as me  _ or _ Rey. We both adore you, Finn, and I know for a fact that Rey would be lost without you. You’re one of the best friends I’ve ever had, Finn, and you know what that means?”

Finn shook his head, still a bit struck by Poe’s kind words. He hadn’t realized how badly he’d needed this validation from Poe, both about his own feelings and about Rey’s.

“It means you’re never, ever,  _ ever _ getting rid of me.”

  
  



	5. in which finn flirts a little, but mostly learns.

Finn wasn’t allowed to buy his students presents for the holidays: something about favoritism, Leia said. He’d been fully intending on getting all of his Slytherins gifts,  at the very least, until Leia had broken the news. He was sorry for it, although his wallet was grateful. 

Still, the fact that Finn was forbidden from buying presents did nothing to stop his students from doing the same for him. By the end of the last week of classes he had accrued a small mountain of knick-knacks, all piled up on the desk in his office. Most of his gifts were small snake-shaped figurines: he was the Slytherin Head of House, after all, and according to his seventh years his house pride was woefully underrepresented in his office. At least Rey would stop badgering (ha!) him about giving his office some more personality: every possible surface was covered in some form of trinket from a student. His favorites, secretly, were the ones that the kids made themselves. A few of the first years had drawn him pictures for the holidays: of him teaching; or themselves and Finn performing a spell; or, memorably, him riding a giant snake. They were all framed and hung on his walls, in between the muggle artwork Snap had given him. Quite frankly, Finn almost preferred his new collection to the Monet replicas.

Syal especially had been eager to give him his gift: she’d wanted to show him what she’d learned in transfiguration with Poe. She’d pulled out an old oven mitt, and tried to transfigure it into a pocket watch. However, it hadn’t gone quite to plan: Finn was now the new owner of a watch made of red yarn. Syal had been incredibly disappointed, but Finn had been thrilled: he’d complimented her effusively, telling the girl how proud he was, how impressed he was with how much she’d grown. Besides, he could get a pocket watch any old time. This was one of a kind.

For all that they drove him up the wall, Finn found himself quite sorry to see his students go when the two week winter break started. He and the other professors had walked down to wave them off as the kids all clambered onto the Hogwarts Express and, looking over, he saw that Rey seemed to be having a similar struggle when it came keeping her emotions in check. 

Jess and Snap had no such problems. 

As soon as the train was out of sight, Jess let out a loud whoop, throwing her arms around Snap and Poe’s shoulders. 

“They’re gone!” she cried gaily. “Let’s get drunk!”

Finn and Rey exchanged bemused looks as Poe, Snap, Lando, and Han cheered boisterously. Leia and Maz just shook their heads, chuckling. They elected to head back to the castle despite the group’s protests, and Kylo waved off their (mostly polite) invitations as well, probably intending to go brood or write sad poetry or do whatever it is Finn assumed mopey Potions Masters do when they’re not teaching.  

And so the nine of them (including Chewbacca) headed toward the Three Broomsticks, laughing all the way, reveling in their newfound freedom. They ordered a large dinner, during which the younger teachers were regaled with war time stories from Han, mostly about Leia. Finn’s respect for the Headmaster grew even greater, and he understood Poe’s hero-worship a bit more as the meal went on. 

Once they’d had a few drinks in them, Jess and Snap started in on stories from their auror days. This was far more interesting to Finn, as he 1) had already heard the majority of Han’s war stories, albeit from books and not the man himself and 2) had a truly embarrassing crush on Poe, and wanted to know  _ everything _ him. 

 “So this guy has thrown everything he’s got at Poe, right? Like every hex you can think of. And Poe just walks up to him and punches him in the face!” 

The entire table dissolved into laughter, including Poe, although his chuckles were more self-deprecating than anything else.  

Jess continued her story, giggling and hiccuping drunkenly. “And then - and - then, he goes - ‘Are you done yet?’”

Rey slapped Poe on the back, cackling. “Poe, you didn’t!”

Poe grinned, before launching into his own story, this one about the time an extremely drunk Jess defeated a dark wizard by throwing a tequila bottle at his head.

They were all pleasantly buzzed (some more than others) by the time the group finished their meals, Rey and Finn gamely but clumsily helping the bartender clear off and clean their dishes. Finn returned to the dining room from the kitchens only to see that the tables had been pushed to the side, making room for a small dance floor, from the look of it.

‘From the look of it’, meaning that Jess and Lando were attempting some form of tango while Snap, Han and Chewie cheered them on from the bar, the radio in the corner playing loudly. Chewie gargled something unintelligible at Rey (Finn really had to figure out what language that was), and she went over to join the older men with a laugh, grabbing Han’s beer out of his hand. Finn heard a throat clear behind him, and turned to find Poe standing before him, offering his hand. 

“May I have this dance, Professor?” He didn’t give Finn a chance to respond, pulling him close with a grin. Finn hoped Poe couldn’t tell how flushed he was at being so close to the other man. Or, if he did notice, that he assumed it was the liquor and nothing more. 

Poe clearly knew what he was doing when it came to dancing, twirling the two of them around the room, reaching out and spinning Finn under his arm, even lifting him up, the younger man’s hands on his shoulders. Finn, who had never danced before in his life, could only giggle helplessly, happy to be along for the ride. 

The music slowed, and Poe drew Finn close, seemingly content to simply sway with him, turning them around at an unhurried pace.

“You know, I’ve learned quite a bit about you tonight, Poe.”

“Oh really? Do tell.”

Finn raised one hand from where they were wrapped around Poe’s shoulders, ticking off fingers as he spoke. “One: You’re apparently a total badass, and a snarky one, at that. Two: you can dance? Really well? I mean, I don’t have anything to compare it to, but I know experience when I see it. And three:,” Finn smirked, “You really can’t hold your liquor.” 

“Hey!”

Finn raised a brow, giving Poe a flat look. “How much of this swaying is dancing, and how much is you trying to stay upright?”

“I’ll have you know that I’m at least thirty percent sober,” he paused, thinking for a moment. “Maybe twenty-five,” Finn laughed, throwing his head back, and Poe scowled. “Come on, man. Have you even  _ been _ drunk before? You’re the one who should be swaying.”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’m totally contributing to the swaying. You’re just doing all the heavy lifting.”

Poe squinted at him, tilting his head. “Lifting? But we’re dancing, not picking things up…”

“Don’t think about it too hard, bud.”

They were silent after that, simply smiling at each other, before Poe rested his head on Finn’s shoulder, sighing contently. Finn was happy to stay there, spinning the two of them slowly and gently, for as long as Poe would let him. Poe spoke after a time, not looking at Finn, keeping his head resting on the younger man.

“I never felt like a badass. I didn’t like hurting people, even bad ones.”

Finn said nothing, simply shifting so he could rub Poe’s back soothingly. 

Poe continued, quietly. “I’m glad I came here. I’m glad I left the Ministry,” he pulled back, smiling at Finn softly. “I’m glad I met you, Finn.”

Finn returned the smile, reaching up to brush a stray hair from where it had fallen across Poe’s forehead. “I’m glad I met you, too, Poe. That you brought me here.”

Poe sighed, resting his forehead against Finn’s. “Finn, I - “

“POE! FINN! I THINK SNAP’S DRUNK!”

Jess had thrown herself onto Finn, until they were practically piggybacking. “Are you sure it’s just Snap?" 

They looked over to see Rey holding an extremely unsteady Snap, the inebriated man looking a little green. Finn sighed good-naturedly, his moment with Poe forgotten as he walked over to help Rey. He ducked underneath Snap’s left arm, grunting as he lifted the heavier man. 

“Where’s the bitter old bastard brigade?”

Rey shrugged, wincing slightly when her movement jostled Snap and made the older man moan nauseously. “The three of them left a while ago. They said they were too old to carry drunken children home,” she looked over at him from around Snap, winking. “I guess you were too wrapped up in lover boy to notice.”

Finn felt his cheeks redden, “We are  _ not _ \- “

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Not  _ yet _ , anyway.”

The five of them paid their tab and staggered back toward the castle, Rey and Finn practically carrying Snap as Poe and Jess wandered in front of them. Jess had started attempting cartwheels in the snow, while Poe had started walking backwards and serenading Finn. It would have been enough to make Finn swoon, if it weren’t for the fact that Poe kept stumbling over his own feet and falling on his ass every few yards. Still, Finn had to admire his dedication, even if the words were too slurred for him to really understand what Poe was singing.

They reached the castle in twice the amount of time it would have normally taken, due to the combined gymnastics, musical renditions, and occasional upchucks from Snap. Upon the sight of the dozens of moving staircases that led to Snap, Jess, and Poe’s quarters, there was a silent and unanimous agreement to spend the night in Finn’s rooms.

They managed to hold on to consciousness just long enough to take off their coats and shoes, and then the five tipsy professors collapsed onto Finn’s queen-sized bed, squirming and trying their damndest not to fall off. Finn was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

 

 

 

******

 

 

Finn was incredibly warm when he woke the next morning, infinitely thankful for the extra quilts that the house elves had provided upon the start of December. He was loath to move and escape this cozy, comfortable cocoon.

That is, until the quilt wrapped around him snored softly into his ear.

He froze, finally opening his eyes: he was practically on top of Rey; her back nestled against his front. He looked down to see Jess curled up along their feet, her head resting on Poe’s calf.

Poe’s calf, which was behind Finn’s own.

Because Poe was spooning Finn, his face tucked between the younger man’s shoulder blades, arms wrapped around his midsection in a tight embrace. Finn would go so far as to say that they were cuddling.

Finn had no idea what to do with this. 

On the one hand, he would like nothing more than to cuddle Poe for as long as humanly possible. On the other hand, he desperately had to pee, and he wasn’t about to let Poe smell his morning breath. Rey, he could (and had) let suffer, but not Poe. 

He groaned loudly, trying to stretch out his stiff limbs without sending Rey tumbling off the bed. The only response he got was a half-hearted hit from Rey as she turned to face him, tucking her face into his chest, and a sleepy grumble from Poe as he pulled Finn closer. 

Alright, so he’d have to try a less subtle tactic to get these octopi to move.

“Rey, move. I gotta pee, and I’m not about to relive my toddler days.”

Rey groaned, before rolling over and off the bed, landing with a grunt. Although, Finn was fairly certain he’d heard the floor moan in pain. 

“Rey, why would you do that? I don’t deserve this.”

“I didn’t _mean_ to fall off, Snap. Besides, what are you doing on the floor? Weren’t you on the bed with us before?”

“...you know, I don’t know how I ended up here.”

Finn snorted, before going to get up himself. His movement was stalled by Poe’s vice-like grip, however. He wriggled and squirmed to no avail, before simply giving up, collapsing back against Poe with an exasperated sigh. 

“Poe. I need to get up.”

“Noooooooo,” Poe whined, snuggling closer to Finn. “You’re so warm, and it’s so early, and everything hurts.”

“It’s not my fault you had too much to drink,” Finn said with a laugh, finally managing to escape Poe’s hold. He used the loo quickly, brushing his teeth and splashing water on his face to wake himself up. When he walked back into his bedroom, he couldn’t help but snort in amusement: Poe and Jess had somehow managed to curl into a ball together in the center of Finn’s mattress, while Rey and Snap were sprawled out on the floor, the latter clutching his head. 

“I’m going to go grab some coffee, does anyone want anything?”

Rey stood up to join, but the older three simply groused and groaned, Jess going to far as to throw a pillow at him. Finn shrugged, and he and Rey left to walk up toward the Great Hall.

“I take it you’re not hungover?” He asked Rey, taking note of her - well, coherency, for a start. 

“When you’ve spent as much time with Han and Chewie as I have, you learn how to handle your liquor. What about you? You seem fine.”

Finn shrugged. “I didn’t actually drink that much. I didn’t like the taste, really.”

Rey chuckled. “You don’t drink for the taste, Finn.”

“In my defense, I haven’t had much experience with drinking, especially not socially. Is it normal for people to try and out-drink each other? I swear, Snap must have drunk at least two entire bottles of wine."

They wandered over to the teacher’s table at the back of the hall, smiling politely at the students who’d elected to stay over the holidays, already gathered around and picking at the breakfast buffet. Rey plopped onto the table itself, reaching over to grab a croissant as Finn settled in an actual chair behind her, like a normal person. 

“So. How about that cuddling this morning?”

Finn sighed, banging his head on the table top with a groan. “I don’t know, Rey. I don’t know!”

She rolled her eyes, throwing an orange at his head. “Finn, he was all over you last night  _ and _ this morning!”

He peered at her from where he’d rested his head on his arms. “I mean, technically _ I _ was all over  _ you _ this morning, that doesn’t mean I’m about to declare my undying love for you.”

“Yeah but this is different.”

“Is it? Because I’m pretty sure Poe and Jess were attempting to become one person earlier. He’s a tactile person, maybe he’s just clingy when he’s drunk.”

“Yeah, but Finn - “

“Rey, I don’t want to read too much into something that is clearly platonic. He’s just affectionate with his friends. Like how you and me are.”

“You’re impossible.”

 

 

******

 

 

It was a brisk, snowy day and, despite it now being halfway through the winter break, Finn was still thrown by the quietness of the castle without its students. He elected to take a walk through the grounds, eager to get a good look at Hogwarts when it was covered in snow, like a true winter wonderland. He walked down the hill toward Chewbacca’s house, looking for Rey (she went to have tea with Chewbacca and Han every Sunday, like clockwork), but not before he turned around to see the castle in its entirety. Yet again, Hogwarts had found a way to take his breath away. It was beautiful. 

He stopped by the cottage, but there was no one in: perhaps they’d gone for a drink in Hogsmeade? Either way, he was happy enough to continue his stroll on his own, electing to walk along the shoreline of the lake, just outside the forest.

Finn hadn’t been walking long before he heard someone talking, just beyond the row of trees behind him. He walked carefully into the woods, only to see Poe standing in a small clearing, BB perched on his head,  surrounded by black, reptilian-looking winged horses, all eagerly nosing at a bag he was holding at his side. 

“Alright, guys, wait your turn. Let your elders go first, okay?” He reached in his bag, pulling out what looked like a slab of uncooked bacon, and walked over to an older, frailer looking creature, giving it the first of what Finn was sure would be many snacks.

“Poe?”

Poe jumped, before whirling around guiltily. BB chirped happily, flying over to rest on Finn’s shoulder. “Oh. Hey Finn,” he said, trying to hide his bag behind his back. “What brings you here, on this lovely afternoon?”

“I was just taking a walk - why are you trying to hide your bag? And what exactly are these things?”

Poe sighed, having been thoroughly caught out. “Technically, I’m not supposed to be giving them treats. Chewbacca has them on a strict diet, you see, and - you can see them?”

“... is this a trick question? Of course I can see them.”

“No, no, it’s just - that’s surprising, is all,” Poe was looking at him thoughtfully, like he wanted to ask a question but couldn’t find the words. “Anyhow, since you’re here, you wanna help me out? There’s a lot of them, after all, and I only have two hands.”

Finn smiled, walking over to take some food from the bag. His hand came in contact with something soft and squishy, and he found himself pulling out a slab of raw chicken. He let out a disgusted cry, holding it as far from himself as he could. Poe laughed loudly at Finn’s revulsion. 

“Yeah, it’s gross to us, but they love stuff like this,” he said, still chuckling, before pulling out some raw beef and tossing it to the nearest...thing. He looked over to see Finn staring at the creatures, still perplexed. “They’re called thestrals. Grossly misunderstood creatures, really. They look intimidating, I know, but they’re really not very dangerous. Especially these guys, who’ve been raised here on the grounds. I actually think they’re quite beautiful, and they’re dead clever to boot.”

As Poe spoke, he walked over to one of the smaller thestrals, stroking its head and neck gently. In return, the thestral nudged its head against Poe’s affectionately. It was clear that Poe came here often, enough to form a bond with the creatures. 

“They’re interesting, for sure, but they seem a bit… eerie, don’t you think?”

Poe scowled. “People see them as omens of death or some such nonsense, so they treat thestrals horribly. It’s so unfair: they can’t help the way they look, after all.”

Finn reached out to the thestral he had just fed, petting it in the same way Poe had done to the other. He grinned as it leant into his touch. “Poe Dameron: Protector of All Things That Can Fly.”

Poe smiled back at him, evidently pleased with Finn’s acceptance of his (slightly terrifying) winged friends. “I guess so.”

They spent the rest of the afternoon feeding the thestrals, Finn smiling softly as he listened to Poe talk to the strange creatures.

_ “Well, hello there, Ello. You’re looking quite handsome today! Have you been behaving with your sisters then? I wouldn’t want to hear that you’ve been... _ horsing _ around.” _

_ “Hey, Muran! Wait your turn! There’s no need to try and steal from your friends. That’s just plain rude. You’ve gotta  _ rein _ in that attitude.” _

_ “Oddy, my  _ mane _ man! Good to see you, bud. Looks like you’ve gotten over that cold, huh?” _

The amount of compassion Poe showed to everyone he met (even these nightmarish creatures), was ceaselessly extraordinary to Finn. He had more love in his heart than every person at First Order put together, and it was infinitely charming. 

“ - I’m just saying, Oddy, it looks like you could do with some rest. Are you sure you’re getting enough sleep? I’m not sure what the recommended amount is for thestrals, but for humans it’s around eight - are you laughing at me, Finn?”

Finn had covered his mouth, trying to stifle his helpless giggles. “I’m sorry, it’s just - you sound like their mother.”

Poe laughed along with Finn, shaking his head. “There are worse things.”

They finished feeding Poe’s ‘children’, then opted to sit on one of the lower hanging, thick branches of a large willow tree near the edge of the clearing. They watched, smiling, as BB flitted around the winged creatures, letting them chase her through the clearing. As they chatted, a thestral would occasionally fly up and give the men an affectionate butt of the head. 

“Poe, why were you surprised that I could see the thestrals?”

Poe swung his leg over the wide branch, until he was straddling it. He leaned back against the trunk, sighing. “Part of why people are so skittish and superstitious about thestrals is that….well, you can only see them if you’ve witnessed death. If you haven’t, then they’re invisible.”

Finn eyes widened. “But - I haven’t - ?”

Poe shook his head, sorrow etched across his face. “I’m sorry, Finn, but you must have. There’s no other way you could have seen them.”

Finn thought back through the years, wracking his brain for any time he would have seen someone - oh. 

Oh, God.

“There - there was a boy, back when I was in school. I didn’t know his name, but then again I didn’t know anyone’s name. We called him Slip, because he was, well, always ‘slipping’ behind. He wasn’t quite a Squib, but at most subjects he was as good as, you know? He was the closest thing I had to a friend, back at the academy. Our bunks were next to each other, and we always got along well enough. People always said he was dragging me down, but I didn’t mind so much. We were training one day, practicing stunning spells, when Slip’s partner caught him completely off guard. He went flying, well past the thin safety mats, and hit his head against the wall. His helmet cracked clean in two at the impact. We all rushed over, but the professor told us to stay put, that Slip was only unconscious. He even congratulated his sparring partner on a spell well-cast. Slip was sent to the infirmary, and we all assumed he’d be on his feet soon. But the next day, they told us that Slip had gone home, that he’d been expelled because of his poor performance,” Finn slammed his fist on the branch, fuming. “He must have  _ died _ , that day. How many lies have they told me over the years? He was only _thirteen_ , goddamnit.”

Poe reached over, grabbing his hand. “It’s not your fault. You couldn’t have done anything, Finn. You were just a kid. You know that, right?”

Finn nodded, squeezing Poe’s hand right back, blinking back tears. “Yeah. I know. It’s just - Poor Slip.”

Poe was quiet for a moment, before he spoke. “When you’re an auror, you have to get used to death. Dark wizards don’t aim to stun, you know? I was head of the Auror Office before I left, and every time we lost someone, it got just a little harder. I was responsible for them. They died on my watch,” he gestured to the thestrals. “I named the thestrals after them. Oddy was the last person I lost, before I came to Hogwarts.”

Poe looked back at Finn, smiling sadly. “You share your sad story, I share mine, right? It’s only fair." 

Poe sighed, jumping off the branch with a grunt. He reached up, offering his hand to help Finn down. He led Finn toward one of the smaller thestrals. 

“This little guy is only a baby. I haven’t gotten around to naming him yet. If you want, you can name him after your friend.”

Finn smiled, albeit a bit wetly. He reached out, running his hand along the thestral’s back. “Hey, Slip. It’s good to meet you.”

They said their goodbyes, and walked hand in hand back to the castle, offering each other support and comfort silently. There were no words, when it came to grief like this, Finn knew. There never would be.

**Author's Note:**

> shoutout to gammadolphin for beta-ing yet again, i love you
> 
> title taken from a song from Bridges of Madison County
> 
> tumblr: senatorgana


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